CHARL6S  H. Spurgcon 


H15  Faith  and  Works 


H.L.Wayland 


DUKE 

UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
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https://archive.org/details/charleshspurgeon01wayl_0 


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SOUTH  EASTERN  ENGLAND 

to  Illustrate  (he 

LIFE  OF  SPURGEON 


CHARLES  H.  SPURGEON 


HIS  FAITH  AND  WORKS. 


BY 

H.  L.  WAYLAND. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 
1420  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  Hie  year  1892,  bv  the 
AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington 


University  i— ibiary 


PREFACE. 


It  is  impossible  to  acknowledge  in  detail  all  the  sources 
which  have  been  drawn  upon  in  the  preparation  of  the 
following  pages.  Special  mention  should,  however,  he 
made  of  “  Charles  II.  Spurgeon  ;  His  Life  and  Labors,”  by 
Rev.  George  C.  Needham,  which  is  a  reservoir  of  informa¬ 
tion  as  to  the  life  of  the  great  preacher.  Acknowledgment 
should  also  be  made  of  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Needham  and 
the  publishers,  Messrs.  Bradley  &  Woodruff,  who  have 
allowed  the  use  of  several  of  the  cuts  contained  in  that 
volume. 

The  book  is  born  of  love  and  of  a  desire  to  perpetuate 
and  extend  the  knowledge  and  influence  of  the  wonderful 
life  that  has  just  closed  on  earth,  so  that  “  he,  being  dead, 
may  yet  speak.”  It  is  humbly  commended  to  the  prayers 
of  all  who  loved  and  honored  that  great-souled  servant  of 
God,  Charles  II.  Spurgeon. 


328785 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Ancestry,  Youth,  Waterbeach, .  7 

CHAPTER  II. 

New  Park  Street, . 35 

CHAPTER  III. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle, . 54 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  the  Preacher.  By  Dr.  Weston,  .  71 

CHAPTER  V. 


Spurgeon  the  Preacher  (continued).  By  T.  H.  Pat 


tison,  d.  d . 83 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Preacher  and  the  Congregation.  By  E.  G. 
Robinson,  d.  d.,  .  . 98 

CHAPTER  VII. 


Mr.  Spurgeon  as  a  Friend  By  T.  H.  Pattison,  d.  d.,  104 
CHAPTER  VIII. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  as  a  Man.  By  Thomas  Armitage,  d.  d  ,  116 

CHAPTER  IX. 


The  Pastors’  College, 


137 


CONTENTS. 


G 

CHAPTER  X. 

PAliK 

The  Orphanage, . .  ...  159 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Authorship . 176 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  as  i  Saw  Him.  By  W.  E.  Hatcher, 

D.  d.,  .  . 186 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Mr.  Spurgeon’s  Jubilee, . 196 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Non-Conformity;  the  Denomination;  “The  Down 

Grade,” . 207 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  at  Home, . 226 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Burden  of  Life, . 247 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Yearnings  of  the  Absent  Pastor, . 253 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Last  Messages  of  Love.  The  End— Earth  to 
Earth, . 268 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Contemporary  Judgments, . 284 

APPENDIX. 

Sermon  on  Baptismal  Regeneration, . 297 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON 


CHAPTER  I. 


ANCESTRY — YOUTH — WATERBEACH. 

N  Saturday  afternoon,  December  10,  1853,  a  lad  of 


V-/  nineteen  years  came  up  to  London  from  Cambridge 
by  the  Eastern  Counties  Railway,  landed  at  the  station  not 
far  from  the  Bank,  and  took  an  omnibus  to  the  boarding 
house  to  Avhich  he  had  been  directed,  in  Queen  Square, 
Bloomsbury.  He  was  ruddy  cheeked,  smooth  of  face,  with 
a  distinctly  rural  appearance,  which  was  italicised  by  the 
black  silk  stock  (now  happily  passed  away)  and  by  his  large 
blue  silk  pocket  handkerchief  with  white  spotsi  It  was  his 
first  visit  to  the  city ;  and  no  doubt  from  the  top  of  the 
omnibus  he  gazed  with  curiosity  at  all  the  novel  sights 
which  lay  along  Cheapside,  Newgate,  and  Holborn. 

If  any  one  had  predicted  that  the  young  rustic  would 
begin  on  the  next  day  a  ministry  of  thirty-eight  years  in 
the  metropolis  of  the  civilized  world,  a  ministry  unsur¬ 
passed  in  the  history  of  Christendom ;  and  that  at  last  he 
would  be  borne  to  his  grave  with  the  burial  of  a  king, 
the  words  would  have  seemed  as  idle  tales,  made  of  the 
same  stuff  as  the  wildest  of  the  Arabian  Nights.  But  time 
has  a  way  all  its  own  of  ruining  the  reputations  of  prophets 
and  of  realizing  what  seemed  but  the  fond  dream  of  a 
feverish  patient. 


7 


8 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


From  what  God  had  done  we  may  safely  judge  as  to  what 
he  meant  to  do.1  And  we  need  not  hesitate  to  believe  that  it 
was  his  purpose  to  raise  up  in  this  nineteenth  century,  in 
the  heart  of  London,  a  Puritan  preacher,  a  preacher  to  the 
people,  who  with  unexcelled  boldness  and  plainness  and 
directness  and  tenderness  and  love  should  call  men  to  God. 

Three  things  determine  what  a  man  shall  be,  or  rather 
there  are  three  things  through  which  God  determines  what 
a  man  shall  be, — his  descent,  his  surroundings,  and  himself. 

As  to  descent,  Spurgeon  had  an  ancestry,  than  which  the 
world  has  seen  no  better.  His  fathers,  many  generations 
gone  by,  had  lived  in  the  Low  Countries,  whence  in  the 
sixteenth  century  they  were  driven  out  by  the  persecutions 
under  the  Duke  of  Alva  and  Philip  II. — persecutions  which 
were  among  the  long  series  by  which  Spain  impoverished 
herself  and  enriched  her  rivals.  In  the  next  century,  Job 
Spurgeon  was  confined  in  Chelmsford  jail  thirteen  weeks 
for  conscience’  sake.  We  may  be  well  assured  that  there 
were  men  of  the  name  and  blood  in  the  host  which  followed 
to  the  field  the  greatest  captain  and  the  most  righteous 
ruler  that  England  ever  saw.  Very  likely  there  was  a 
Corporal  Spurgeon,  versed  in  Scripture,  who,  in  the  regi¬ 
mental  prayer  meeting,  led  the  devotions  of  his  less  gifted 
colonel,  and  reproved  a  back-sliding  major,  and  who  later, 
after  a  hard-won  victory,  bleeding  on  the  field,  smiled  as 
he  saw  Oliver  with  his  whirlwind  of  Ironsides  sweep  by  on 
the  way  to  annihilate  the  Malignants  and  to  achieve  liberty 
and  good  government,2  and  then  died  happy. 

Of  this  lineage  came  Rev.  James  Spurgeon,  who  was 


i“  What  is  election  but  God’s  purpose  to  do  what  he  does  do?” — Spurgeon  . 
Sermon  on  Romans  8:  2S. 

2  We  hove  drawn  a  little  on  Macaulay  and  Kingsley. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


9 


minister  of  the  Independent  Church  in  Stambourne,  Essex, 
from  1810  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  in 
1864.  His  portrait  represents  a  face  expressing  firmness,  a 
mouth  that  shut  close  like  General  Grant’s,  with  a  fine  high 
forehead,  and  with  traces  of  kindness  and  humor. 

His  son,  Rev.  John  Spurgeon,  was  borne  in  Stambourne, 
in  1811,  and  entered  on  the  ministry  in  middle  life  as  pastor 
of  an  Independent  church  in  Tollesbury,  whence  he  re¬ 
moved  later  to  Cranbrook,  Kent,  where  he  was  pastor  for 
five  years.  After  his  son  became  eminent,  the  father  was 
pastor  successively  of  two  churches  in  London.  He  now 
(1892)  resides  in  West  Croydon,  having  survived  his  son. 
He  is  remembered  by  those  who  knew  him  in  his  prime  as 
an  earnest,  faithful  preacher. 

His  wife  (who  recently  deceased)  was  a  woman  of  marked 
character  and  devoted  godliness,  whose  wise  and  prayerful 
piety  was  rewarded  by  the  conversion  of  each  of  her  chil¬ 
dren.  Her  husband  was  once  troubled  by  doubt  if  he  were 
acting  rightly  in  going  from  home  so  often  to  preach  the 
gospel ;  ought  he  not  to  remain  at  his  home  and  to  care  for 
the  salvation  of  his  children?  As  he  passed  the  door  of  his 
wife’s  room,  ho  heard  her  praying  for  each  of  the  children, 
and  especially  for  Charles.  The  husband  felt  that  he  might 
safely  carry  on  the  work  of  God  and  leave  the  children  to 
the  care  of  the  Lord  and  of  such  a  mother. 

There  was  a  world  of  meaning  in  the  words  of  the  father 
when  he  was  told  of  the  death  of  his  son :  “  What  a 

happy  meeting  there  has  been  between  Charles  and  his 
mother !  ” 

In  the  day  when  God  shall  render  to  every  man  accord¬ 
ing  to  his  work,  who  can  say  how  large  will  be  the  reward 
of  these  parents  and  grandparents  and  ancestors  who  would 


10 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


not  be  known  but  for  the  flaming  effulgence  reflected  back 
from  the  light  which  they  helped  to  kindle? 

Of  these  parents,  Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon  was  born 
June  19,  1834,  in  Kelvedon,  Essex,  where  they  were  then 
residing. 

When  he  was  fourteen  months  old,  the  child  went  on  a  long 
visit  to  his  grandparents,  who  were  very  fond  of  him.  And 
now  the  surroundings  began  to  be  a  forming  influence.  The 
grandfather  was  a  man  whose  strong  Puritanism  showed 
itself  in  his  “  high  ”  doctrines,  in  his  uprightness,  in  his  almost 
passionate  love  for  Dr.  AVatts,  and  his  vehement  protest 
against  the  use  of  any  other  hymns.  But  all  was  consistent 
with  tenderness  and  with  most  friendly  illations  with  the 
Rector  of  the  parish,  Mr.  Hopkins,  the  minister  and  the 
rector  frequently  attending  each  other’s  services. 

The  grandfather  was  a  man  of  much  originality  and 
humor.  He  would  say  to  his  grandson, 

“  Charles,  I  have  nothing  to  leave  you  but  rheumatic  gout ; 
but  I  have  left  you  a  great  deal  of  that.” 

Perhaps  the  grandfather  had  inherited  it  from  Job 
Spurgeon,  whose  thirteen  winter  weeks  in  jail  left  him  a  vic¬ 
tim  of  rheumatism.  Sitting  before  the  fire  and  rubbing  bis 
afflicted  knees,  he  would  murmur  when  in  the  eighties : 

“  I  do  believe  that  this  rheumatism  will  shorten  my 
days.” 

During  the  last  summer  of  his  life,  in  1891,  the  Taber¬ 
nacle  pastor  spent  a  few  days  of  what  he  hoped  was  con¬ 
valescence,  revisiting  the  home  of  his  boyhood  ;  in  “  Memor¬ 
ies  of  Stambourne,”  he  has  given  a  charming  picture  of  the 
village,  of  the  generally  level  scenery,  and  the  fields 
“  adorned  witli  cowslips  and  paigles  and  harebells  and  ane¬ 
mones  and  wild  hyacinths.”  The  love  of  nature  cherished 


Birthplace  op  C.  H.  Spurgeon.  Page  10. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  13 

by  these  rural  scenes  enriched  his  life  and  his  ministry,  and 
made  every  flower  and  tree  at  Westwood  his  dear  friend. 

In  the  mean  time,  his  father  had  removed  to  Colchester, 
where  the  boy  attended  a  school  kept  by  Mrs.  Cook,  the  wife 
of  a  sea-captain.  Later  he  went  to  the  school  of  Mr. 
Lewis,  and  later  still,  with  his  brother  James,  to  a  school  at 
Maidstone.  He  next  attended  Mr.  Swindell’s  school  at 
Newmarket,  as  usher,  receiving  tuition  in  Greek  in  exchange 
for  his  work.  Thus  early,  his  scholarship  was  such  as  to 
make  his  services  valuable.  After  the  death  of  the  son,  the 
aged  father  read  to  a  visitor  an  extract  from  his  own  diary, 
dated  August  17,  1849:  “Charles  started  for  Newmarket 
this  morning ;  his  mother  went  with  him ;  the  Lord  go  with 
him  and  keep  him  and  bless  him.” 

As  to  this  period  of  his  life,  Professor  J.  D.  Everett,  F. 
R.  S.  Queen’s  College,  Belfast,  who  was  his  fellow  usher, 
writes  to  the  “  Christian  World  ”  : 

From  a  short-hand  diary  which  I  kept  at  Mr.  Swindell’s, 
I  transcribe  a  few  passages. 

On  Friday  evening,  August  17,  1849,  as  we  expected 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  the  new  teacher,  to  arrive  by  the  coach  at 
half-past  five,  we  went  to  the  heath  to  see  the  coach  in.  As 
it  passed  us,  we  saw  no  one  outside,  and  only  a  few  ladies 
and  a  boy  inside ;  so  we  concluded  the  teacher  had  not  come. 
However,  the  boy  was  Mr.  Spurgeon.  He  is  fifteen  years 
old,  and  is  a  clever,  pleasant  little  fellow.  He  comes  from 
a  collegiate  school  at  Maidstone,  in  which  he  obtained  the 
first  prize,  but  he  knows  very  little  Latin  and  Greek,  and  in 
mathematics  has  done  five  books  of  Euclid,  and  only  as  far 
as  equations  and  the  Binomial  Theorem  in  algebra. 

Sunday,  August  19. — Mr.  Spurgeon  is  a  nice  lad. 

Monday,  August  20. — After  the  twelve  o’clock  interval, 
Mr.  Spurgeon  and  I  went,  with  Mr.  Swindell’s  permission, 
into  our  own  room  and  read  Horace.  He  knows,  I  think, 
more  Latin  than  any  of  the  boys,  but  not  quite  as  much  as 
I  know. 


14 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Tuesday,  October  9. — After  dinner  I  took  Percy  and 
four  other  boys  to  see  the  races.  Mr.  Spurgeon  did  not  go, 
as  he  thought  he  should  be  doing  wrong. 

We  boarded  in  the  house,  occupied  the  same  bedroom, 
took  our  walks  together,  discussed  our  common  grievances, 
and  were  the  best  of  friends.  He  was  rather  small  and  del¬ 
icate,  with  pale  but  plump  face,  dark  brown  eyes  and  hair, 
and  a  bright,  lively  manner,  with  a  never-failing  flow  of 
conversation.  He  was  rather  deficient  in  muscle,  did  not 
care  for  cricket  or  other  athletic  games,  and  was  timid  at 
meeting  cattle  on  the  road. 

He  had  been  well  brought  up  in  a  family  with  strong 
Puritanical  tendencies,  and  was  proficient  in  the  subjects 
taught  in  the  middle-class  schools  of  those  days.  He  knew 
a  little  Greek,  enough  Latin  to  gather  the  general  sense  of 
Virgil’s  iEneid  without  a  dictionary,  and  was  fond  of  alge¬ 
bra.  He  had  a  big  book  of  equation  problems,  and  could 
do  all  the  problems  in  it  except  two  or  three.  He  was  a 
smart,  clever  boy  at  all  kinds  of  book  learning ;  and,  judging 
from  the  accounts  he  gave  me  of  his  experiences  in  his  father’s 
counting-house,  he  was  also  a  smart  man  of  business.  He 
was  a  keen  observer  of  men  and  manners,  and  very  shrewd 
in  his  judgments.  He  enjoyed  a  joke,  but  was  earnest,  hard¬ 
working,  and  strictly  conscientious. 

He  had  a  wonderful  memory  for  passages  of  oratory 
which  he  admired,  and  used  to  pour  forth  to  me  with  great 
gusto  in  our  walks,  long  screeds  from  open-air  addresses  of 
a  very  rousing  description,  which  he  had  heard  delivered  at 
Colchester  Fair  by  the  Congregational  minister,  Mr.  Davids. 
His  imagination  had  evidently  been  greatly  impressed  by 
these  services.  I  have  also  heard  him  recite  long  passages 
from  Bunyan’s  “  Grace  Abounding.” 

He  was  a  delightful  companion,  cheerful  and  sympa¬ 
thetic,  a  good  listener  as  well  as  a  good  talker.  And  he  was 
not  cast  in  a  common  conventional  mould,  but  had  a  strong 
character  of  his  own. 

In  the  following  year,  he  went  to  Cambridge  as  usher 
in  a  school.  It  was  during  his  residence  here  that  the  fol¬ 
lowing  advertisement  appeared  in  a  Cambridge  newspaper : 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


15 


No.  60  Upper  Park  Street,  Cambridge. 

Mr.  C.  H.  Spurgeon  begs  to  inform  his  numerous  friends 
that,  after  Christmas,  he  intends  taking  six  or  seven  young 
gentlemen  as  day  pupils.  He  will  endeavour  to  the  utmost 
to  impart  a  good  commercial  education.  The  ordinary 
routine  will  include  arithmetic,  algebra,  geometry,  and 
mensuration ;  grammar  and  composition ;  ancient  and 
modern  history ;  geography,  natural  history,  astronomy, 
Scripture,  and  drawing.  Latin  and  the  elements  of  Greek 
and  French  if  required.  Terms,  five  pounds  per  annum. 

This  will  remind  the  reader  of  another  advertisement, 
which  appeared  in  the  “  Gentleman’s  Magazine”  for  1736. 

At  Edial,  near  Lichfield ,  in  Staffordshire,  young  gentle¬ 
men  are  boarded  and  taught  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages 
by  Samuel  Johnson. 

In  all  these  schools,  he  was  a  faithful  scholar  in  the  lan¬ 
guages  and  in  mathematics.  The  popular  conception  which 
represents  him  as  uneducated  is  erroneous.  Voluntary 
ignorance  cannot  quote  his  example. 

The  lad  had  always  been  of  a  serious  character,  given  to 
books  rather  than  to  boyish  play.  Many  tales  are  told  of 
his  conscientiousness,  of  his  boldness  in  rebuking  sin,  of  his 
calling  his  aunt  (who  was  another  mother  in  tender  care, 
and  in  indulgence)  and  his  brothers  out  to  the  barn,  where 
he  would  seat  them  on  the  trusses  of  straw,  while  he  would 
ascend  the  manger  and  preach  to  them.  His  moral  thought¬ 
fulness  was  marked  by  the  family  and  even  by  visitors. 
When  he  was  ten  years  old,  Rev.  Richard  Knill  visited 
Starabourne  to  preach  for  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
That  he  was  struck  with  the  promise  of  the  boy  was  not 
altogether  strange ;  clergymen  on  a  collecting  tour  are 
always  much  impressed  by  the  high  qualities  of  the  children 
of  their  hosts.  But  the  feelings  of  Mr  Knill  took  a  more 


16 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


definite  form ;  he  talked  and  prayed  with  the  boy,  and  call¬ 
ing  the  family  together,  he  laid  his  hands  on  the  lad’s  head, 
and  expressed  his  conviction  that  the  young  Spurgeon  would 
preach  the  gospel  to  many  thousands.  Perhaps  the  predic¬ 
tion,  as  often,  aided  to  produce  its  own  fulfillment. 

A  celebrated  passage  in  one  of  his  early  sermons  seems 
to  indicate  that  he  was  once  in  danger  of  falling  into 
skepticism : 

“  There  was  an  hour  in  which  I  slipped  the  anchor  of  my 
faith ;  I  cut  the  cable  of  my  belief ;  I  no  longer  moored 
myself  hard  by  the  coast  of  revelation ;  I  allowed  the  vessel 
to  drift  before  the  wind,  and  thus  started  on  the  voyage  of 
infidelity.” 

But  the  state  of  unbelief  thus  portrayed  must  have  been 
of  very  brief  duration,  though  naturally,  as  he  looked  back 
upon  it,  it  seemed  the  horror  of  thick  darkness. 

At  length  came  the  time  when  he  was  thoroughly  aroused 
about  his  soul. 

“Six  months  did  I  pray — prayed  agonizingly  with  all 
my  heart,  and  never  had  an  answer.  ...  I  felt  that  I  was 
willing  to  do  anything  and  be  anything  if  God  would  only 
forgive  me.” 

At  this  time,  the  family  were  living  in  Colchester ;  but 
the  father  was  preaching  to  a  little  church  in  Tollesbury. 
The  Sunday  was  very  stormy ;  Charles  could  not  go  to 
Tollesbury  ;  his  mother  said  : 

“  You  had  better  go  to-day  to  the  Primitive  Methodist 
Chapel.” 

The  preacher  in  this  chapel  was  a  very  plain,  laboring 
man,  who,  on  week  days,  planted  cabbages  and  tended  them. 
So  few  people  were  present  that  morning,  that  the  preacher 
had  decided  not  to  preach ;  but  his  mind  was  changed. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  17 

Charles  sat  and  waited ;  at  last,  a  very  thin,  pale  man  went 
into  the  pulpit  and  gave  out  the  text : 

“Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  ye  ends  of  the 
earth.”  Then  fixing  his  eyes  on  the  trembling  boy,  he  said  : 
“  Young  man,  you  are  in  trouble.  You  will  never  get  out 
of  it  unless  you  come  to  Christ.”  Then  lifting  his  thin 
hands,  he  cried,  “  Look,  look,  look  ;  only  look." 

In  an  instant,  the  darkness  was  rolled  away.  In  the  even¬ 
ing,  he  went  to  the  Baptist  chapel,  where  he  heard  a  sermon 
from  the  words,  “Accepted  in  the  beloved;”  and  he  felt 
peace  and  an  assurance  of  salvation.  At  night,  when  all 
others  in  the  house  had  gone  to  bed,  he  told  his  father  the 
story  of  the  day. 

The  narrative  of  his  blameless  youth,  of  his  prolonged 
agony,  and  of  the  final  dawning  of  day,  suggests  more  than 
one  lesson.  That,  in  order  to  be  an  eminent  saint,  one  must 
first  have  been  a  flagrant  sinner;  that  there  is  no  such  mate¬ 
rial  for  the  Christian  worker  as  the  reclaimed  prize  fighter, 
the  regenerate  saloon  keeper,  or  the  reformed  burglar, — all 
this  is  one  of  the  Devil’s  lies. 

If  the  gospel  had  been  preached  in  Colchester  as  simply 
and  plainly  as  it  was  later  preached  in  the  Tabernacle,  the 
poor  lad  would  have  been  spared  months  of  suffering,  of 
groping.  Indeed,  it  is  by  no  means  certain  but  that  he  had 
already  submitted  to  God,  and  that  the  gracious  text,  quoted 
by  the  plain  preacher,  merely  revealed  to  himself  that  God 
had  accepted  him  in  the  Beloved. 

Young  Spurgeon  at  once  felt  that  he  must  profess  his 
faith  in  the  Saviour.  His  parents  and  all  his  ancestors  had 
been  Congregationalists.  But  after  diligently  reading  the 
New  Testament  with  prayer  for  guidance,  he  became  con¬ 
vinced  that  there  was  no  baptism  save  the  immersion  of  a 


18 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


believer  upon  the  intelligent  profession  of  bis  faith.  In  ac¬ 
cordance  with  the  spirit  of  religious  liberty  which  his  ances¬ 
tors  had  brought  from  Holland,  the  father  opposed  no 
obstacle  to  the  son’s  choice.  Accordingly,  on  Friday,  May 
3,  1851,  Charles  walked  from  Newmarket  (where  he  was 
then  usher)  to  Isleham  Ferry  and  was  baptized  by  Pastor 
Cantlow. 

The  “Sword  and  Trowel”  for  April,  1890,  contains  an 
article  from  Mr.  Spurgeon,  entitled  “  Baptizing  at  Isleham 
Ferry,”  from  which  we  quote : 

In  January,  1850,  I  was  enabled,  by  divine  grace,  to 
lay  hold  on  Jesus  Christ  as  my  Saviour.  Being  called,  in 
the  providence  of  God,  to  live  at  Newmarket  as  usher  in  a 
school,  I  essayed  to  join  myself  to  the  church  of  believers  in 
that  town  ;  but  according  to  my  reading  of  Holy  Scripture, 
the  believer  in  Christ  should  be  buried  with  him  in  baptism, 
and  so  enter  upon  his  open  Christian  life.  I  cast  about  to 
find  a  Baptist  minister,  and  I  failed  to  find  one  nearer  than 
Isleham,  in  the  Fen  country,  where  resided  a  certain  Mr. 
W.  W.  Cantlow,  who  had  once  been  a  missionary  in  Jamaica, 
but  was  then  pastor  of  one  of  the  Isleham  Baptist  churches. 
My  parents  wished  me  to  follow  my  own  convictions,  Mr. 
Cantlow  arranged  to  baptize  me,  and  my  employer  gave  me 
a  day’s  holiday  for  that  purpose. 

I  can  never  forget  the  3d  of  May,  1850;  it  was  my 
mother’s  birthday,  and  I  myself  was  within  a  few  weeks  of 
being  sixteen  years  of  age.  I  was  up  early,  to  have  a  couple 
of  hours  for  quiet  prayer  and  dedication  to  God.  Then  I 
had  some  eight  miles  to  walk,  to  reach  the  spot  where  I  was 
to  be  immersed  into  the  Triune  name  according  to  the  sacred 
command.  It  was  by  no  means  a  warm  day,  and  therefore 
all  the  better  for  the  two  or  three  hours  of  quiet  foot-travel, 
which  I  enjoyed.  The  sight  of  Mr.  Cantlow’s  smiling  face 
was  a  full  reward  for  that  country  tramp.  I  think  I  see  the 
good  man  now,  and  the  white  ashes  of  the  turf-fire  by  which 
we  stood  and  talked  together  about  the  solemn  exercise  which 
lav  before  us. 

We  went  together  to  the  Ferry,  for  the  Isleham  friends 


Isleham  Ferry.  Page  18. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


21 


had  not  degenerated  to  in-door  immersion  in  a  bath  made 
by  the  art  of  man,  but  used  the  ampler  baptistery  of  the 
flowing  river. 

Isleham  Ferry,  on  the  River  Lark,  is  a  very  quiet  spot, 
half  a  mile  from  the  village,  and  rarely  disturbed  by  traffic 
at  any  time  of  the  year.  The  river  itself  is  a  beautiful 
stream,  dividing  Cambridgeshire  from  Suffolk.  The  ferry 
house,  hidden  in  the  picture  by  the  trees,  is  freely  opened 
for  the  convenience  of  minister  and  candidates  at  a  bap¬ 
tizing.  Where  the  barge  is  hauled  up  for  repairs,  the 
preacher  takes  his  stand,  when  the  baptizing  is  on  a  week¬ 
day,  and  there  are  few  spectators  present.  But  on  Lord’s 
day,  when  great  numbers  are  attracted,  the  preacher,  stand¬ 
ing  in  a  barge  moored  mid-stream,  speaks  the  word  to  the 
crowds  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  This  can  he  done  the 
more  easily,  as  the  river  is  not  very  wide.  Where  three 
persons  are  seen  at  a  stand,  is  the  usual  place  for  entering 
the  water.  The  right  depth,  with  sure  footing,  may  soon  be 
found,  and  so  the  delightful  service  proceeds  in  the  gently 
flowing  stream.  No  accident  or  disorder  lias  ever  marred 
the  proceedings.  In  the  course  of  seven  or  eight  miles,  the 
Lark  serves  no  fewer  than  five  Baptist  churches ;  and  they 
would  on  no  account  give  up  baptizing  out  of  doors. 

To  me  there  seemed  to  be  a  great  concourse  on  that 
week-day.  Dressed,  I  believe,  in  a  jacket,  with  a  boy’s 
turn-down  collar,  I  attended  the  service  previous  to  the 
ordinance;  but  all  remembrance  of  it  has  gone  from  me; 
my  thoughts  were  in  the  water,  sometimes  with  my  Lord  in 
joy,  and  sometimes  with  myself  in  trembling  awe  at  making 
so  public  a  confession.  ...  It  was  a  new  experience  to  me, 
never  having  seen  a  baptism.  .  .  .  The  wind  came  down 
the  river  with  a  cutting  blast,  as  my  turn  came  to  wade  into 
the  flood  ;  but  after  I  had  walked  a  few  steps,  and  noted  the 
people  on  the  ferry  boat,  and  in  boats,  and  either  shore,  I 
felt  as  if  heaven  and  earth  and  hell  might  gaze  upon  me; 
for  I  was  not  ashamed  then  and  there  to  own  myself  a  fol¬ 
lower  of  the  Lamb.  Timidity  was  gone;  I  have  scarcely 
met  with  it  since.  I  lost  a  thousand  fears  in  that  river 
Lark,  and  found  that  in  keeping  his  commandments  there 
is  great  reward.  It  was  a  thrice  happy  day  to  me.  God 
be  praised  for  the  preserving  goodness  which  allows  me  to 
write  with  delight  of  it  at  the  distance  of  fortv  years.  .  ,  . 


22 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


If  any  ask,  why  was  I  thus  baptized?  I  answer,  because 
I  believed  it  to  be  an  ordinance  of  Christ,  very  specially 
joined  by  him  with  faith  in  his  name.  “  He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved.”  I  had  no  superstitious  idea 
that  baptism  would  save  me,  for  I  was  saved.  I  did  not 
seek  to  have  sin  washed  away  by  water,  for  I  believed  that 
my  sins  were  forgiven  me  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Yet  I  regarded  baptism  as  the  token  to  the  believer  of  cleans¬ 
ing,  the  emblem  of  his  burial  with  his  Lord,  and  the  out¬ 
ward  avowal  of  his  new  birth.  I  did  not  trust  in  it ;  but 
because  I  trusted  in  Jesus  as  my  Saviour,  I  felt  bound  to 
obey  him  as  my  Lord,  and  follow  the  example  which  he  set 
us  in  Jordan,  in  his  own  baptism.  I  did  not  fulfill  the  out¬ 
ward  ordinance  to  join  a  party  and  become  a  Baptist,  but 
to  be  a  Christian  after  the  apostolic  fashion,  for  they,  when 
they  believed,  were  baptized. 

True,  there  was  no  saving  efficacy  in  the  outward  ordi¬ 
nance  ;  but  who  can  doubt  that  the  conscientious  discharge 
of  duty  in  the  face  of  some  obstacles  was  blessed  in  giving 
him  that  firmness  in  adherence  to  righteousness  which  was 
the  keynote  of  his  life? 

As  soon  as  he  felt  the  joy  of  conversion,  the  lad  desired 
to  serve  his  Master  by  leading  others  to  the  fountain  of  life. 
He  distributed  tracts ;  he  taught  in  the  Sunday-school ;  he 
set  copies  for  the  boys,  and  thus  gained  entrance  to  their 
homes,  where  he  gave  away  his  tracts. 

Upon  going  to  Cambridge,  he  united  himself  with  the 
church  of  which  Robert  Hall  had  been  the  brilliant  and 
gifted  preacher,  and  which  now  has  as  its  pastor  Mr.  Tarn, 
one  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  most  successful  students.  He  also 
joined  the  Lay-preachers’  Association,  and  aided  in  conduct¬ 
ing  meetings  in  the  villages  near  by.  One  evening,  he  was 
requested  to  go  with  a  brother  to  the  hamlet  of  Teversham, 
four  miles  away,  as  the  brother  who  was  to  preach  there  was 
unused  to  the  work,  and  would  be  much  encouraged  by  the 


-The  Cottage  in  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  I’keacbed  his  First  Sermon.  Page  25. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


25 


presence  of  a  Christian  companion.  Young  Spurgeon  prom¬ 
ised,  thinking  that  perhaps  he  would  be  asked  to  pray  or  to 
read  the  chapter.  On  the  way,  he  said  to  his  comrade : 

“  I  hope  you  will  be  much  blessed  this  evening  in  preach¬ 
ing.” 

“  Oh,  dear !  ”  was  the  reply,  “  I  never  preached  in  my  life ; 
it  is  you  that  will  preach ;  there  will  be  no  preaching  unless 
you  do.” 

Seeing  no  way  of  escape,  he  cast  himself  on  God  for 
help,  and  spoke,  in  the  farm  kitchen,  to  the  handful  of  rus¬ 
tics,  from  the  words  of  Peter,  “  To  you,  therefore,  that  be¬ 
lieve,  he  is  precious.” 

The  people  gazed  in  wonder  at  the  boy  in  his  round 
jacket  and  his  broad  turn-over  collar.  As  he  closed  the 
sermon,  an  aged  dame  cried  out : 

“  How  old  are  you  ?  ” 

“You  must  not  ask  questions  now,”  he  rejftied. 

After  the  service  was  over,  the  eager  inquiries  were  re¬ 
newed  :  “  How  old  are  you  ?  ” 

“  Less  than  sixty.” 

“  Less  than  sixty,  indeed !  Less  than  sixteen.” 

“Well,  no  matter  how  old  I  am;  let  us  listen  to  the 
words  of  the  Lord.” 

The  name  of  the  young  preacher  was  soon  widely  known. 
His  services  were  in  demand  in  all  the  villages  about  Cam¬ 
bridge,  though  the  worldly  circumstances  of  the  humble 
churches  were  such  that  his  labors  were  recompensed  only 
with  a  great  deal  of  experience.  Often  the  wants  of  the 
little  congregation  drew  heavily  on  his  sympathies  and  on 
his  slender  purse.  He  has  related  that  once,  of  a  rainy 
evening,  after  he  had  walked  several  miles  to  a  village, 
he  found  that  no  one  had  ventured  out ;  so,  in  his  rubber 


20 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


coat  and  with  his  lantern,  lie  went  from  house  to  house,  and 
cottage  to  cottage,  inviting,  urging  the  people  to  come  and 
hear  the  gospel ;  and  thus  he  gathered  a  little  congregation. 

Presently,  in  1851,  being  then  eighteen,  he  was  invited  to 
become  the  pastor  of  the  small  church  in  Waterbeach,  an 
humble  farming  village  in  Essex.  He  at  once  accepted  the 
call.  He  did  not  wait  for  a  large  field ;  he  entered  the  field 
which  Providence  had  opened.  At  once  people  were  at¬ 
tracted  by  the  young  preacher.  The  little  thatched  chapel 
(which  was  burned  in  1861)  became  crowded;  people  stood 
outside  at  the  windows.  Nor  was  it  alone  curiosity.  The  pas¬ 
tor  was  not  satisfied  to  draw  a  crowd ;  he  wanted  conver¬ 
sions  ;  and  within  the  year  of  his  labors  the  church  grew 
from  forty  to  a  hundred.  Through  the  entire  community 
the  effect  of  his  labors  was  seen  :  drunkards  became  sober 
and  profligates  virtuous. 

During  this  year  of  his  pastorate  at  Waterbeach  his  father 
and  other  friends  urged  him  to  enter  Regent’s  Park  College, 
under  the  care  of  the  justly  eminent  Dr.  Joseph  Angus,  and 
to  take  a  full  course  of  literary  and  theological  study.  It 
was  arranged  that,  while  the  President  was  on  a  visit  to 
Cambridge,  Mr.  Spurgeon  should  meet  him,  at  a  given  hour, 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Macmillan,  the  publisher.  Each  ar¬ 
rived  at  the  time ;  by  the  error  of  a  servant  each  was  shown 
into  a  different  room ;  neither  knew  of  the  nearness  of  the 
other.  After  an  hour  or  two  of  waiting,  each  became  weary, 
and  each  went  his  way. 

On  the  same  afternoon,  as  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  walking 
across  Cambridge  on  his  way  to  preach  in  the  neighborhood, 
he  seemed  to  hear  an  audible  voice  pronouncing  the  words : 
“  Seekest  thou  great  things  for  thyself  ?  Seek  them  not.” 
He  received  the  command  as  a  message  from  God. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


27 


“  I  remembered  my  poor  but  loving  people  among  whom 
I  ministered  and  the  souls  who  had  been  given  me  in  my 
humble  charge ;  and  although  at  that  time  I  anticipated 
obscurity  and  poverty  as  the  result  of  my  resolve,  yet  I  did 
there  and  then  renounce  the  offer  of  collegiate  instruction, 
determining  to  abide,  for  a  season  at  least,  with  my  people, 
and  to  remain  preaching  the  word  as  long  as  I  had  strength 
to  do  it.”  He  wrote  to  his  father  : 

“  Unless  you  expressly  command  me,  I  shall  not  enter  the 
College ;  I  shall  remain  with  the  Waterbeach  Church.” 

It  is  idle  to  speculate  on  what  might  have  been ;  if  we 
believe  that  the  God  of  infinite  wisdom  and  love  guides  us 
when  we  sincerely  and  humbly  ask  for  guidance,  we  can 
hardly  regard  this  incident  as  excepted  from  God’s  care.  It 
is  not  easy  to  see  how  a  course  at  Regent’s  Park  or  at  either 
of  the  Universities,  would  have  increased  his  spiritual  power 
or  his  usefulness.  But  that  he  did  not  set  at  naught  the 
value  of  consecrated  mental  discipline  and  acquirement  was 
shown  later  in  his  establishment  of  a  college  for  the  educa¬ 
tion  of  ministers. 

The  church  had  in  former  times  paid  the  minister  from 
five  pounds  a  year  up  to  twenty-five  pounds.  At  first,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  continued  his  labors  as  usher ;  but  presently  he 
gave  up  all  else,  and  the  church,  with  its  increased  strength, 
raised  his  salary  to  fifty  pounds  a  year,  or  not  far  from  nine¬ 
teen  shillings  a  week.  Mr.  Spurgeon  once  said  to  the 
writer : 

“I  paid  twelve  shillings  a  week  for  my  rooms  at  Cam¬ 
bridge,  and  had  left  seven  shillings  for  all  other  expenses ; 
but  the  people,  whenever  they  came  to  town,  Avould  bring 
potatoes,  turnips,  cabbages,  apples,  and  sometimes  a  bit  of 
meat ;  and  so  I  managed  to  live.” 


28 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


“  But  once,”  he  added,  “  I  was  very  much  in  need  of  a 
hat ;  and  hats  did  not  grow  on  the  farms  at  Waterbeach  ;  so 
I  said  to  the  Lord,  ‘  O  Lord,  I  must  be  decent ;  I  need  a  hat 
very  much.’  There  was  a  man  in  the  parish  who  was  quite 
wealthy  for  a  village,  having  several  thousand  pounds ;  but 
he  was  dreadfully  penurious.  He  showed  his  parsimony 
years  later,  when  he  was  dying.  He  had  been  in  a  chamber 
on  the  second  story ;  but  when  he  found  that  he  was  going 
to  die,  he  managed  to  crawl  down,  with  great  pain,  to  the 
first  floor,  so  that  he  might  die  there,  and  his  estate  might 
not  have  to  pay  a  shilling  for  having  his  body  carried  down 
one  flight  of  stairs.  And  further,  to  save  church-yard  fees, 
he  left  directions  that  his  body  should  be  buried  in  a  corner 
of  the  garden. 

“  The  Sunday  noon  after  I  had  told  the  Lord  about  my 
need,  this  man  very  quietly  called  me  to  come  with  him 
behind  the  chapel.  After  looking  around  everywhere  to  see 
if  we  were  alone,  he  said  to  me : 

“  ‘  The  Lord  told  me  to  give  you  seven  and  six.  Here  it 
is.  And  I  want  you  to  pray  that  I  may  be  saved  from 
coveteousness.’ 

“  So  I  bought  a  hat.  The  next  Sunday,  in  the  same  secret 
way,  he  called  me  again  to  the  rear  of  the  chapel.  I  was  at 
a  loss  to  know  what  he  could  want  this  time.  In  great  dis¬ 
tress,  he  said : 

“  ‘  Oh,  dear !  The  Lord  told  me  to  give  you  ten  shillings, 
but  I  kept  back  two  and  six,  and  I  haven’t  slept  a  wink  all 
the  week  ;  and  here  it  is.  Pray  that  I  may  not  be  lost.’ 

“  The  people  were  hospitable  and  generous  beyond  their 
means.  For  the  fifty-two  Sundays,  I  had  fifty-six  homes.” 

Every  door  stood  open  ;  the  only  question  was  who  should 
have  the  privilege  of  entertaining  him  on  his  next  weekly 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEGi\. 


29 


visit.  Meanwhile,  the  deacons  and  the  more  far-sighted  of 
the  members,  after  the  manner  of  men,  were  divided  be¬ 
tween  delight  in  their  new  welfare  and  forebodings  as  to 
their  losing  the  (human)  source  of  their  prosperity.  They 
felt  but  too  surely  in  their  prophetic  souls  that  such  a 
preacher  could  not  long  be  monopolized  by  Waterbeach. 

And  all  this  time,  Providence,  while  preparing  the  man 
for  the  field,  was  also  preparing  a  field  for  the  man.  The 
New  Park  Street  Church  in  London  had  enjoyed  a  most 
honorable  history.  It  had  maintained  the  truth,  it  had 
borne  burdens  and  sufferings  for  Christ’s  sake  and  the  gos¬ 
pel’s,  in  the  midst  of  defection ;  it  had  enjoyed  the  labors 
of  a  succession  of  holy  men,  one  of  whom,  Benjamin  Reach, 
had  stood  in  the  pillory  for  preaching  the  gospel.  There 
was  a  great  store  of  promises  yet  unfulfilled,  of  prayers  not 
yet  granted.  But  at  preesent  it  seemed  as  if,  humanly 
speaking,  the  future  of  the  church  lay  wholly  in  the  past. 
The  chapel  was  not  far  from  Southwark  Bridge,  in  a  part 
of  Southwark  that  had  become  a  most  undesirable  neigh¬ 
borhood,  amid  shabby  houses  and  breweries.  Thrale’s  his¬ 
torical  brewery  had  been  in  this  neighborhood.  The  chapel, 
built  in  more  prosperous  times  for  a  congregation  of  twelve 
hundred,  now  rarely  saw  more  than  a  hundred,  though  the 
church  numbered  two  hundred.  No  doubt,  as  with  all  an¬ 
cient  churches,  many  of  the  members  were  advanced  in 
years,  and  many  had  retained  their  connection,  though  they 
had  removed  to  a  distance.  The  few  who  remained  were 
growing  discouraged.  No  doubt  in  the  prayer  meeting,  held 
in  the  dark  and  unventilated  lecture  room,  the  aged  standard 
bearers  used  to  dilate  upon  the  past  glories  of  Zion,  and  to 
extol  the  memory  of  the  sainted  Rippon,  and  the  long-since 
departed  Reach,  and  the  venerated  Gill,  and  the  still  sur- 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


30 

viving  Angus.  How  little  they  knew  that  a  future  lay  just 
before  the  church,  compared  with  which  its  past  would  fade 
and  pale ! 

The  pulpit  was  vacant,  and  they  were  anxiously  looking 
for  a  man  who  should  fill  not  only  it,  but  the  eleven  hundred 
empty  sittings. 

There  was  a  Sunday-school  meeting  at  Cambridge.  The 
speakers  were  two  most  respectable  and  rather  dull  divines 
and  a  young  man ;  the  latter  spoke  with  the  ardor  and  the 
imprudence  which  is  apt  to  mark  the  men  who  are  to  make 
eras.  He  was  rebuked  by  his  seniors  for  his  unguarded 
utterances.  But  there  was  a  visitor  from  Essex,  who  no 
doubt  was  not  a  stranger  to  the  growing  reputation  of  the 
young  preacher  of  Waterbeach.  Struck  with  his  address,  lie 
said  to  Deacon  James  Low,  of  the  New  Park  Street  Church, 
that  he  believed  that  in  this  youth  of  nineteen  they  would 
find  the  man  they  needed  and  prayed  for.  And  thus  it 
came  about  that  in  November,  1853,  when  Mr.  Spurgeon 
reached  Waterbeach  Chapel  one  Sunday  morning  and  took 
his  seat  in  the  “  table  pew  ”  to  select  the  hymns  from  Rip- 
pon’s  Watts,  a  letter  was  handed  him.  It  was  from  Deacon 
Low,  and  was  an  invitation  to  come  to  London  and  preach 
on  ail  early  Lord’s  Day.  Mr.  Spurgeon  read  it,  and  handed 
if  to  a  deacon,  with  the  remark  : 

“  It  is,  of  course,  a  mistake ;  they  would  never  think  of 
inviting  me ;  it  must  be  meant  for  another  minister  of  the 
same  name.” 

“  No,”  the  deacon  replied;  “  it  is  not  a  mistake  ;  I  knew 
that  this  would  be  the  end  of  it ;  but  I  wonder  that  the 
Londoners  have  heard  of  you  so  quickly.  Now,  if  it  had 
been  Cottenham,  or  St.  Ives,  or  Huntingdon,  I  should  not 
have  wondered  ;  but  London  !  ” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON'. 


31 


Mr.  Spurgeon  put  the  letter  aside,  and  preached  as  usual, 
and  next  day  wrote  to  London,  explaining  that  the  pastor  at 
Water  beach  was  but  nineteen  years  old,  and  that  the  letter 
was  evidently  not  intended  for  him.  But  a  reply  was 
received,  saying  that  the  church  was  aware  of  his  age,  and 
that  the  invitation  was  meant  for  him,  and  was  renewed. 

And  so,  on  the  appointed  day,  he  went  to  London.  He 
was  entertained  in  a  boarding  house,  still  known  as  Burr’s 
Hotel.  Among  the  guests  were  several  young  men,  who,  as 
soon  as  they  learned  the  errand  on  which  he  had  come  to  the 
city,  chaffed  him,  telling  him  about  the  great  preachers  in 
London,  and  by  implication  showing  the  madness  of  a  young 
man  from  the  country,  with  scanty  education,  dreaming  of 
competing  with  them.  As  the  result  of  this  singularly  wanton 
cruelty,  the  lad  went  to  his  room  and  bed  with  a  heavy 
heart.  Next  morning,  as  he  reached  the  chapel,  lie  was 
awed  by  its  size,  and  by  the  memory  of  the  great  men  of 
the  past.  How  could  he  stand  in  the  pulpit  where  Gill  and 
Rippon  had  stood  ? 

But  he  gathered  courage,  and  preached  from  James  1:17: 
“  Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and 
cometh  down  from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  is  no 
variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning.”  The  congrega¬ 
tion  numbered  about  eighty.  And  these  had  been  gathered 
with  labor.  During  the  previous  week,  the  deacons  had 
been  drumming  up  a  congregation.  Among  others,  they 
had  gone  to  Miss  Susannah  Thompson,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Robei-t  Thompson,  saying : 

“  There  is  a  young  man  from  Essex  coming  to  preach  for 
us  on  Sunday.  Do  come  and  help  to  make  a  respectable 
show,  so  that  he  may  not  see  how  very  few  we  are.” 

The  young  lady  came  ;  at  night  she  came  again.  She  will 


32 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


appear  more  than  once  on  these  pages ;  her  name  will  ever 
be  associated  with  his. 

The  people  in  the  morning  were  carried  away  by  the 
young  preacher.  Apparently  they  spent  much  of  the  after¬ 
noon  in  telling  of  the  marvelous  sermon ;  in  the  evening, 
there  were  several  hundred  present.  Never  again  would  it 
be  needful  to  work  up  an  audience  for  Spurgeon.  He 
preached  from  the  words :  “  They  are  without  fault  before 
the  throne  of  God,”  Rev.  14:5.  The  sermon  deepened  the 
impression  made  in  the  morning.  After  the  service,  the 
people  lingered  in  the  house,  and  would  not  be  pacified 
without  an  assurance  from  the  officials  that  Mr.  Spurgeon 
should  be  invited  to  preach  again.  So  he  was  asked  to  spend 
another  Sunday  at  New  Park  Street  as  soon  as  possible.  He 
would  make  no  engagement  before  seeing  the  little  church 
at  Waterbeach. 

On  the  way  home  that  evening  with  one  of  the  deacons, 
they  stopped  to  hear  a  celebrated  minister,  toward  the  close 
of  his  discourse. 

“  Do  they  call  that  great  preaching  ?  ”  asked  Mr.  Spurgeon. 

“  Yes,”  replied  the  deacon. 

“  Then  I  can  preach  in  London.” 

In  the  end,  he  preached  every  other  Sunday  for  six  weeks 
in  London.  Each  Sunday  increased  the  enthusiasm.  An 
invitation,  not  unanimous,  was  given  him  to  preach  for  six 
months.  In  his  reply,  he  said : 

“With  regard  to  a  six  months’ invitation  from  you,  I 
have  no  objection  to  the  length  of  time,  but  rather  approve 
of  the  prudence  of  the  church  in  wishing  to  have  one  so 
young  as  myself  on  an  extended  period  of  approbation. 
But  I  write  after  well  weighing  the  matter,  when  I  say  posi¬ 
tively  that  I  cannot — I  dare  not — accept  an  unqualified 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON, 


33 


invitation  for  so  long  a  time.  ...  It  ill  becomes  a  youth  to 
promise  to  preach  to  a  London  congregation  so  long,  until 
he  knows  them,  and  they  know  him.  I  would  engage  to 
supply  for  three  months  of  that  time,  and  then,  should  the 
congregation  fail,  or  the  church  disagree,  I  would  reserve 
to  myself  liberty,  without  breach  of  engagement,  to  retire ; 
and  you  would  on  your  part  have  the  right  to  dismiss  me 
without  seeming  to  treat  me  ill.  Should  I  see  no  reason 
for  so  doing,  and  the  church  still  retain  their  wish  for  me, 
I  can  remain  the  other  three  months,  either  with  or  with¬ 
out  the  formality  of  a  second  invitation.  ...  I  respect  the 
honesty  and  boldness  of  the  small  minority,  and  only  wonder 
that  the  number  was  not  greater.  .  .  .  And  now,  one  thing  is 
due  to  every  minister,  and  I  pray  you  to  remind  the  church 
of  it,  namely,  that  in  private,  as  well  as  in  public,  they  must 
all  wrestle  in  prayer  to  God  that  I  may  be  sustained  in  the 
great  work.” 

Long  before  even  the  three  months  had  passed,  all  ques¬ 
tion  had  ceased.  There  was  no  minority  ;  the  entire  church 
called  him  to  the  pastorate.  On  Friday,  April  28,  1854,  he 
accepted  the  call,  and  at  once  entered  the  field  which  he  was 
to  leave  only  with  his  life. 

In  all  this  correspondence  and  the  events  connected  with 
it,  and  in  the  story  of  his  early  life,  several  things  may  be 
remarked.  One  is  the  singular  maturity  and  judgment  of  a 
lad  of  nineteen.  He  was  neither  bashful  nor  over-confident ; 
he  trusted  in  God  and  looked  to  him  for  success. 

And  there  was  an  absence  of  seeking  after  a  great  place. 
To  many  young  men,  settled  with  a  little  country  church,  on 
a  salary  of  fifty  pounds,  an  invitation  to  London  would  have 
been  an  intoxication ;  and  the  only  question  would  have 
been,  “  When  does  the  first  express  start  for  London  ?  ”  But 


34 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


lie  put  aside  the  first  invitation  as  not  meant  for  him.  There 
was  no  eagerness;  he  believed,  and  did  not  make  haste. 
Whether  he  had  ever  thought  of  a  career,  we  do  not  know ; 
but  certainly  he  acted  on  the  principle  that  the  way  to  be 
prepared  for  a  greater  to-morrow  is  to  do  faithfully  the 
small  duty  of  to-day. 


CHAPTER  II. 


NEW  PARK  STREET  CHAPEL. 


HE  enthusiasm  which  had  attended  the  three  months  of 


-L  trial  did  not  wane.  The  chapel  was  always  crowded. 
“  In  the  evenings,  when  the  gas  was  burning,  it  was  like  the 
Black  Hole  of  Calcutta.”  One  evening  in  1854,  the 
preacher  exclaimed : 

“  By  faith  the  walls  of  Jericho  came  down ;  and  by  faith 
this  wall  at  the  back  shall  come  down.” 

After  the  service  an  aged  and  prudent  deacon,  addicted 
to  that  mixture  of  self-satisfaction  and  indolence  which  we 
call  “  conservatism,”  exclaimed  in  rather  domineering  tones : 

“  Let  us  never  hear  of  that  again.” 

“What  do  you  mean?”  said  the  preacher.  “You  will 
hear  no  more  about  it  when  it  is  done ;  and  therefore  the 
sooner  you  set  about  doing  it  the  better.” 

While  the  enlargement  was  in  progress,  February  11, 
1855,  to  May  27,  the  church  occupied  Exeter  Hall,  in  the 
Strand,  holding  two  thousand  five  hundred  to  three  thousand. 
But  this  too  proved  wholly  inadequate.  Often  the  crowd 
overflowed  into  the  street.  All  London  came  to  see  what  it 
was  which  drew  all  London.  And  what  did  all  London 
see  ?  They  did  not  see,  as  they  perhaps  expected,  a  mounte¬ 
bank.  Nor,  on  the  other  hand,  did  they  see  a  man  of 
clerical  appearance  (though  in  his  early  ministry,  he  wore 
the  white  neck-tie  which  later  he  discarded  as  a  “white 
boiled  rag.”)  They  did  not  see  (it  is  hardly  necessary  to 


35 


36 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


remark)  a  lord.  The  spectacle  of  a  lord  preaching  the 
gospel  would  always  draw  an  audience  in  England.  Nor 
did  they  see  a  man  crowned  with  the  honors  of  the  universi¬ 
ties;  but  rather  one  who  by  his  conscientious  belief  was 
excluded  from  the  opportunities  and  privileges  of  Oxford  and 
Cambridge.  Nor  did  they  hear  doctrines  softened  down.  Nor 
were  the  doctrines  brought  in  as  an  incident.  Rather  the 
Puritan  theology  was  stated  in  the  boldest  form,  and  made 
to  stand  out  in  almost  repulsive  bareness.  And  these  doc¬ 
trines  were  made  the  warp  and  woof  of  the  sermon.  After 
one  of  his  celebrated  Yale  Lectures  on  Preaching,  Mr. 
Beecher  was  asked  a  question  about  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  Cal¬ 
vinism.  He  replied : 

“  Mr.  Spurgeon  does  not  owe  anything  to  his  Calvinism, 
anything  more  than  the  camel  does  to  his  hump.”  Mr. 
Spurgeon  replied,  in  the  “  Sword  and  Trowel,”  by  quoting 
from  an  eminent  naturalist,  who  said,  in  substance : 

“  The  camel’s  hump  is  indispensable  to  him.  It  is  made 
up  of  fat,  which  supplies  to  him  condensed  nourishment 
through  all  of  a  long  journey  in  the  desert.” 

Mr.  Beecher  (so  Mr.  Spurgeon  informed  the  writer) 
had  the  manliness  to  acknowledge  the  aptness  of  the 
reply. 

What,  then,  did  all  London  see?  They  saw  a  young 
man  of  twenty-one,  only  a  year  or  two  from  the  country, 
who  was  absolutely  master  of  the  situation,  who  was  poised, 
self-possessed,  recognized  by  an  ancient  church,  and  by 
cautious  and  conservative  office-holders  as  the  unquestioned 
leader. 

He  trod  the  platform  as  Nelson  the  quarter-deck.  Mar¬ 
velous  success  did  not  intoxicate  him.  He  was  not  exalted, 
nor  conceited ;  although,  indeed,  if  he  had  shown  signs  of 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  37 

conceit,  one  might  well  have  remembered  what  old  Dr. 
Samuel  Johnson  said : 

“  They  talk  about  Garrick  being  conceited ;  but  they 
must  consider  the  circumstances.  Why,  if  I  had  been  flat¬ 
tered  as  much  as  Garrick,  and  as  successful,  I  would  have 
men  go  before  me  with  long  poles,  when  I  went  out  on  the 
street,  to  knock  everybody  down.” 

They  saw  a  man  as  bold  as  Ney,  as  John  Brown ;  who 
might  have  asked :  “  How  does  a  man  feel  when  he  is 
afraid  ?  ”  a  man  who  did  not  fear  to  declare  unpopular  truth, 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  take  responsibility. 

Yet,  with  all  the  courage  of  youth,  he  combined  the 
wisdom  of  age.  He  made  no  mistakes.  His  common  sense 
was  gigantic.  The  smart  and  spiteful,  and  therefore  foolish 
sayings  attributed  to  him  were  pure  inventions.  Once  he 
was  asked  if  he  really  uttered  the  mot  attributed  to  him  by 
all  the  paragraphers : 

“  Resist  the  devil  and  he  will  flee  from  you ;  resist  the 
deacons  and  they  will  fly  at  you.” 

“  No,”  he  replied,  “  I  never  had  the  wit  to  originate  it  nor 
the  experience  to  justify  it;  and  it  has  been  ascribed  to 
others  hundreds  of  years  before  I  was  born.” 

On  the  contrary,  he  had  great  things  to  accomplish,  and 
he  would  not  peril  them  by  alienating,  for  the  sake  of  an 
epigram,  those  whose  help  was  indispensable.  And  he 
always  spoke  of  his  deacons  and  of  his  friends  with  enthusi¬ 
astic  affection :  “  no  one  ever  had  such  friends  as  I.” 

They  saw  a  man  who  believed  what  he  said ;  to  whom 
everything  that  he  taught  was  intensely  real.  The  doctrines 
were  alive ;  he  made  them  breathe  and  pulsate.  They 
were  not  weapons  to  be  furbished  up  for  their  own 
sake  alone,  and  then  laid  aside.  They  were  to  control  the 


38 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


life.  Religion  was  not  something  to  be  put  in  one’s  iron 
safe,  along  with  his  other  fire  insurance  policies,  and  looked 
at  once  a  week.  It  was  to  control  every  moment  of  the  life. 
Repentance  was  not  merely  an  exercise  preliminary  to  join¬ 
ing  the  church  ;  it  meant  leaving  oft’  every  wrong  practice ; 
it  meant,  as  in  actual  instances,  for  the  thief  to  restore  his 
spoils. 

The  Bible  was  not  a  book  to  be  laid  away  in  decorous  and 
dusty  disuse,  nor  was  it  a  book  to  be  read  as  a  task,  hateful 
but  unavoidable.  Rather  the  Bible  was  a  book  to  be  read, 
to  be  believed,  to  be  obeyed,  to  be  enjoyed,  a  counsellor  in 
perplexity,  a  solace  in  trial. 

They  saw  a  man  who  was  master  of  that  great  gift,  the 
plainest  and  simplest  Anglo-Saxon  speech,  who  preached 
with  the  single  aim  that  all  should  understand,  whether  they 
would  or  not.  He  did  not  preach  about  “  the  drift  of  cur¬ 
rent  theological  thought,”  or  about  “  a  parallel  between 
Paul’s  Epistles  and  the  Dialectics  of  Aristotle,”  or  about 
“  the  primordial  germ,”  or  about  “  the  alleged  use  of  two- 
tined  forks  among  the  prehistoric  races.”  He  had  no  liter¬ 
ary  or  professional  ambition.  He  used  the  English  of  Bun- 
yan  and  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

They  saw  a  man  who  spoke  directly  to  the  soul,  who 
seemed  to  look  into  the  heart  of  each  person  in  the  thou¬ 
sands  before  him,  and  talked  with  him  as  if  the  two  were 
absolutely  alone  in  the  spiritual  world.  Once  the  writer 
heard  him  close  a  sermon  in  something  like  these  words : 

“  Will  you  accept  Christ  ?  ”  “  Well,  I  will  think  about  it.” 
“  That  is  not  the  question.  Will  you  accept  Christ  ?  ”  “I  will 
go  home  and  pray.”  “  No,  that  is  not  the  question.  Will  you 
accept  Christ  ?  ”  “  I  will  leave  off  swearing.”  “  No,  that  is  not 
the  question  ;  will  you  accept  Christ  f  ” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


39 


And  he  pressed  the  question,  till  it  seemed  that  no  one  in 
the  great  congregation  could  avoid  deciding  then  and  there 
the  issue  of  eternity. 

They  saw  a  man  preaching  twice  a  week,  and  often  three 
times,  to  his  own  people,  and  perhaps  a  dozen  times  abroad. 
He  never  used  old  sermons,  never  repeated  himself  in  prayer 
or  sermon.  There  was  always  infinite  variety. 

They  heard  a  voice  which  was  perhaps  the  most  wonder¬ 
ful  and  effective  ever  given  to  a  public  speaker,  which  was 
not  vociferous  to  those  near  at  hand,  while  yet  it  was  dis¬ 
tinctly  heard  by  five,  or  ten,  or  even  twenty  thousand.  It 
was  a  voice  that  had  the  singular  quality  of  ringing  in  one’s 
ears  years  after  it  has  been  heard,  especially  when  it  was 
instinct  with  deep,  passionate  feeling.  The  writer  remem¬ 
bers  hearing  him  give  this  notice : 

“You  will  find  petitions  in  the  other  end  of  the  house 
against  the  opium  traffic  in  India  and  China ;  I  hope  you 
will  all  sign  them.  For  a  government  to  carry  on  dram 
shops  for  the  sake  of  the  profit  is  inexcusable ;  but  that  the 
government  should  carry  on  poison  shops  is  utterly  abomi¬ 
nable.” 

Eleven  years  have  passed  ;  but  as  we  write,  we  seem  to  hear 
once  more  those  tones  of  indignant,  burning  humanity.  And 
he  had  this  voice  perfectly  in  control ;  he  effected,  what  is 
one  of  the  rarest  achievements  of  a  public  speaker,  a  tone 
of  familiar,  yet  elevated  conversation,  a  conversation  ad¬ 
dressed  to  the  great  congregation. 

When  he  prayed,  it  was  evident  that  he  trod  a  path 
which  was  familiar  to  his  feet.  There  were  the  loftiest  sen¬ 
timents  expressed  in  the  simplest  language.  There  was  the 
devotion  of  the  closet  carried  into  the  pulpit,  lifting  up  the 
souls  of  the  great  multitude.  There  was  not  the  awe  which 


40 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


sometimes  characterizes  prayer ;  still  less  was  there"  that 
fear  which  is  cast  out  by  perfect  love.  Perhaps  he  was 
pleading  for  more  of  the  love  of  God : 

“  Some  of  us  have  only  stood  on  the  brink  of  this  great 
river ;  some  of  us  have  but  touched  our  feet  in  the  stream ; 
some  of  us  have  waded  up  to  our  ankles ;  with  some  the 
waters  have  come  breast-high.” 

Or,  again,  he  would  say  : 

“  O  Lord,  take  us  and  mold  us  as  the  clay,  though  there 
is  so  much  grit  in  us  that  it  must  hurt  thy  fingers.” 

There  was  much  that  might  be  startling  to  one  accustomed 
to  the  rhythm  and  order  and  propriety — (shall  we  say  con¬ 
ventionalism?) — of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  Yet  few 
persons,  while  listening  to  Mr.  Spurgeon,  would  feel  the 
need  of  a  prayer  book. 

When  he  read  from  the  Scripture,  it  was  no  longer  a  vol¬ 
ume  two  or  three  thousand  years  old ;  it  became  a  new 
book.  Every  verse  was  instinct  with  life.  His  running  com¬ 
ments  were  rich  and  suggestive,  and  were  as  well  worthy 
publication  as  his  sermons. 

To  hear  him  read  a  psalm  and  comment  upon  it  was 
an  event.  He  had  passed  through  deep  waters;  he  had 
borne  burdens.  These  things  help  a  man  to  see  into  tie 
Psalms,  make  them  real  to  him.  The  late  Francis  Way- 
land,  in  speaking  of  Calvin’s  Commentary  on  the  Psalms, 
once  said,  “  Calvin  had  been  through  persecution,  sickness, 
loneliness,  danger,  exile.  All  these  things  rub  the  Psalms 
into  a  man.” 

Of  course,  the  newspapers  soon  became  aware  of  what  was 
going  on,  and  of  a  good  deal  that  was  not  going  on.  Their 
first  impulse  was  to  hold  him  up  to  ridicule  as  a  mountebank, 
and,  at  odd  hours,  to  invent  ridiculous  stories  about  him. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


41 


Gradually,  however,  the  conviction  forced  itself  upon  them 
that  he  was  a  spiritual  power ;  it  did  not  make  very  great 
odds ;  they  could  not  ignore  him.  Every  mention  only  in¬ 
creased  the  number  who  could  not  get  into  the  congregation. 

When  the  newspapers  said  that  he  slid  down  the  pulpit  ban¬ 
isters  and  then  painfully  climbed  up  again,  to  show  how  easy 
is  backsliding  and  how  difficult  is  recovery  (and  this  at  a 
time  when  there  were  no  banisters  and  no  stairs  in  sight,  the 
pulpit  being  reached  by  stairs  from  the  rear),  people  came 
to  see  the  stairs,  and  remained  to  pray  and  to  be  saved. 

To  the  comic  papers,  here  was  a  harvest  not  to  be  neg¬ 
lected.  They  swarmed  with  caricatures,  though  often,  in¬ 
deed,  these  caricatures  were  an  indirect  commendation. 
One  caricature  gives  a  pair  of  portraits  labeled  respectively 
“  Brimstone  ”  and  “  Treacle.”  The  former  is  a  young  man 
of  plain  and  unprofessional  appearance,  who  is  speaking 
without  grace,  his  arms  extended  wide,  but  with  the  utmost 
earnestness ;  the  other  represents  a  divine  in  full  canonicals, 
with  his  hair  accurately  parted  and  brushed,  a  white  hand¬ 
kerchief  beside  the  sermon  on  the  cushion,  who  is  reading 
his  manuscript  with  an  easy  and  self-satisfied  simper. 

In  one  instance  the  editor  of  a  comic  paper  called  to  see 
Mr.  Spurgeon  and  said  to  him : 

“  We  want  you  to  understand  that  we  have  no  personal 
feeling,  and  that  we  publish  these  things  merely  to  make 
the  paper  sell.” 

All  these  caricatures  Mr.  Spurgeon  collected  and  put  into 
an  album,  enjoying  many  a  laugh  over  them. 

The  enlarged  chapel  in  New  Park  Street  seated  eighteen 
hundred ;  but  to  put  the  constantly  growing  congregation 
back  into  the  chapel  was  like  trying  to  crowd  the  chicken 
back  into  the  shell.  So  it  was  needful  to  return  to  Exeter  Hall. 


42 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


But  the  proprietors  of  the  hall  were  unwilling  for  so  long  a 
time  to  let  it  to  one  church.  A  fund  was  started  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  house ;  and  in  the  mean  time  the  Music 
Hall  in  Surrey  Gardens,  just  completed,  was  engaged  for 
Sunday  evenings,  with  some  misgivings  at  the  greatness  of 
the  undertaking.  Here,  on  the  evening  of  Sunday,  October 
6,  seven  thousand  persons  were  assembled,  and  the  pastor 
had  begun  his  prayer,  when  an  alarm  was  started,  as  is  sup¬ 
posed,  by  some  miscreants  acting  in  concert.  A  panic  arose ; 
every  one  crowded  to  the  doors ;  the  passages  became  choked ; 
seven  persons  lost  their  lives,  and  twenty-eight  were  seri¬ 
ously  injured.  The  nervous  shock  to  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  so 
severe  as  for  several  weeks  to  prevent  him  from  preaching. 

It  is  almost  incredible ;  but  while  he  was  suffering  the  ut¬ 
most  distress  from  the  deplorable  accident,  for  which,  of 
course,  he  was  no  more  responsible  than  Queen  Victoria, 
some  of  the  London  papers  had  the  injustice  and  inhumanity 
to  attack  him  savagely  and  to  hold  him  up  to  reproach  by 
associating  him  with  the  calamity.  Said  one  paper : 

We  would  place  in  the  hand  of  every  right-thinking 
man  a  whip  to  scourge  from  society  the  authors  of  such  vile 
blasphemies  as  on  Sunday  night,  above  the  cries  of  the  dead 
(sic)  and  the  dying,  and  louder  than  the  wails  of  misery 
from  the  maimed  and  suffering,  resounded  from  the  mouth 
of  Mr.  Spurgeon  in  the  Music  Hall  of  the  Surrey  Gardens. 

It  is  gratifying  to  add  that  the  paper  has  since  become 
better  informed,  and  has  been  most  favorable  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon  and  his  work. 

To  avoid  any  such  liability  in  the  future,  it  was  decided 
to  hold  services  in  the  Music  Hall  only  in  the  morning, 
though  the  evening  was  far  more  favorable  to  large  au¬ 
diences.  Of  course,  all  these  events  made  more  urgent  and 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


43 


obvious  the  need  for  the  new  building.  The  fund  steadily  in¬ 
creased  by  the  free  will  offerings  of  the  poor  and  of  the  more 
wealthy.  A  site  was  selected  in  Newington  Butts,  so  called 
because,  in  the  olden  time,  here  were  set  up  the  butts  or  tar¬ 
gets  for  archery  practice.  Here  also,  on  the  very  site,  in 
former  times,  Baptists  had  been  burned  at  the  stake  for  their 
faith.  The  site  is  just  across  the  way  from  “The  Ele¬ 
phant  and  Castle,”  a  well-known,  or  rather  widely-known 
tavern. 

It  was  a  great  undertaking  for  a  church  having  very 
small  wealth  to  build  a  house  to  hold  six  thousand  per¬ 
sons,  and  costing  thirty  thousand  pounds,  and  to  offer  it 
to  God  free  from  debt.  But  by  this  time  the  people  had 
become  inspired  with  something  of  the  faith  and  bold¬ 
ness  of  the  pastor ;  and  they  had  learned  from  him  the 
might  of  prayer.  The  prayers  of  the  people  came  be¬ 
fore  God  along  with  their  alms.  In  the  words  of  Mr. 
Stead : 

“  Every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  church,  who  had 
accepted  the  finished  work  of  Christ,  and  had  become  a 
member  of  the  Church  Militant  below,  became,  as  it  were, 
not  merely  a  partner  with  God  Almighty,  but  a  son,  a 
brother  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  supported  them  in  the  midst 
of  all  the  sordid  cares  and  troubles  of  their  daily  life,  and 
who,  having  loved  them  with  an  everlasting  love,  would 
guide  their  footsteps  every  day  and  who  would  keep  them 
unto  the  end. 

“  So  far  from  regarding  Mr.  Spurgeon  primarily  as  a  great 
preacher,  it  will  be  more  helpful  for  those  who  seek,  to  find 
the  secret  of  his  success  in  his  power  of  prayer.  It  was 
much  more  praying  than  preaching  that  made  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
Mr.  Spurgeon;  which  made  this  Essex  bumpkin  a  name 

4 


44 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


and  a  power  which  tells  for  righteousness  in  every  corner  of 
the  English-speaking  world.” 

The  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  stands  as  a  monument  to 
the  power  of  faith  and  prayer. 

Over  and  over,  during  the  work  of  building,  man’s 
extremity  proved  God’s  opportunity.  A  friend  in  Bristol, 
who  had  never  heard  Mr.  Spurgeon,  sent  five  thousand 
pounds.  Another  friend  loaned  twenty  thousand  pounds  in 
securities  which  the  pastor  could  use  as  collaterals  if  he 
needed  to  borrow  money. 

The  corner-stone  was  laid,  August  16,  185&.  In  Decem¬ 
ber,  1859,  the  church  ceased  meeting  in  the  Music  Hall,  as 
the  proprietors  had  decided  to  open  it  on  Sunday  evenings 
for  amusement.  Once  more  the  meetings  were  held  in 
Exeter  Hall,  from  December  18,  1859  till  the  Tabernacle 
was  occupied,  March  1,  1861. 

It  was  during  the  occupancy  of  the  Music  Hall  that  a 
remarkable  letter  appeared  in  the  London  “  Times,”  which 
was  known  to  proceed  from  an  eminent  man  of  letters,  and 
which  attracted  much  attention.  The  writer  described  his 
own  prejudices,  and  the  slow  steps  by  which  he  had  been 
persuaded  to  go  to  the  hall  to  hear  “  the  Calvinist,  the 
Baptist.”  He  continues : 

“  Fancy  a  congregation  of  ten  thousand  souls,  streaming 
into  the  hall,  mounting  the  galleries,  humming,  buzzing, 
swarming, — a  mighty  hive  of  bees, — eager  to  secure,  at  first, 
the  best  places,  and  at  last  any  place  at  all.  After  waiting 
half  an  hour — if  you  wish  to  have  a  seat  you  must  be  there 
at  least  that  space  of  time  in  advance — Mr.  Spurgeon 
ascended  his  tribune.  To  the  hum  and  rush  and  trampling 
of  men  succeeded  a  low  concentrated  thrill  and  murmur 
of  devotion,  which  seemed  to  run  at  once  like  an  electric 


The  Metropolitan  Tabernacle.  Page  41. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEOX. 


47 


current  through  the  breast  of  every  one  present ;  and  by  this 
magnetic  chain  the  preacher  held  us  fast  for  about  two 
hours.  ...  It  is  enough  to  say  of  his  voice,  that  its  power 
and  volume  are  sufficient  to  reach  every  one  in  that  vast 
assembly  ;  of  his  language,  that  it  is  neither  high-flown  nor 
homely ;  of  his  style,  that  it  is  at  times  familiar,  at  times 
declamatory,  but  always  happy,  and  often  eloquent ;  of  his 
doctrine,  that  neither  the  Calvinist  nor  the  Baptist  appears 
in  the  forefront  of  the  battle  which  is  waged  by  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon  with  relentless  animosity,  and  with  gospel  weapons, 
against  irreligion,  cant,  hypocrisy,  pride,  and  those  secret 
bosom  sins  which  so  easily  beset  a  man  in  daily  life ;  and 
to  sum  up  all  in  a  word,  it  is  enough  to  say  of  the  man  him¬ 
self  that  he  impresses  you  with  a  perfect  sense  of  his  sincerity. 
.  .  .  Here  is  a  man  not  more  Calvinist  than  many  an  incum¬ 
bent  of  the  Established  Church  who  ‘  humbles  and  mum¬ 
bles  ’  as  old  Latimer  says,  over  his  liturgy  and  text,— here 
is  a  man  who  says  the  complete  immersion,  or  something  of 
that  kind,  of  adults  is  necessary  to  baptism.  These  are  his 
faults  of  doctrine;  but  if  I  were  the  examining  chaplain  of 

the  Archbishop  of - I  would  say,  ‘  May  it  please  your 

Grace,  here  is  a  man  able  to  preach  eloquently;  able  to 
fill  the  largest  church  in  England  with  his  voice,  and, 
what  is  more  to  the  purpose,  with  people.  And  may  it  ple:ise 
your  Grace,  here  are  two  churches  in  the  metropolis,  St.  Paul’s 
and  Westminster  Abbey.  What  does  your  Grace  think  of 
inviting  Mr.  Spurgeon,  this  heretical  Calvinist  and  Baptist, 
who  is  able  to  draw  ten  thousand  after  him,  just  to  try  his 
voice  some  Sunday  morning,  in  the  nave  of  either  of  those 
churches?  ’  ” 

If  this  suggestion  had  been  adopted,  and  if  the  spirit  of  it 
had  obtained,  many  years  would  have  been  added  to  the 


48 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


duration  of  the  Establishment,  and  many  souls  would  have 
heard  the  word  of  life ;  but  either  wisdom  or  love  or  bold¬ 
ness  was  wanting. 

Providentially  the  church  was  saved  from  the  curse  of 
similar  enterprises — an  aspiring  architect  and  a  desire  to 
erect  something  that  shall  be  “  a  credit  to  the  neighborhood.” 
No  doubt  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  a  hand  in  the  management,  of 
whom  the  “  Spectator  ”  justly  says : 

“  He  could  give  away  like  a  prince ;  but  he  had  the 
faculty,  often  so  painfully  absent  from  the  clergy,  whether 
Established  or  Nonconformist,  of  managing  large  pecuniary 
affairs.  Thousands  might  be  given  him,  and  it  was  certain 
.  .  .  that  he  would  spend  the  money  wisely,  would  waste 
none  on  ‘  fads,’  and  would  have  as  clear  a  result  for  his  cash 
as  if  he  had  been  a  shopkeeper  buying  stock.” 

Throughout,  faith  and  common  sense  wonderfully  kept 
step.  The  church  records  have  this  entry,  January  6, 1861, 
signed  by  the  pastor  and  the  deacons : 

“  This  church  needs  rather  more  than  four  thousand 
pounds  to  enable  it  to  open  the  New  Tabernacle  free  of  all 
debt.  It  humbly  asks  this  temporal  mercy  of  God,  and 
believes  that  for  Jesus’  sake  the  prayer  will  be  heard  and 
the  boon  bestowed.” 

Mr.  Spurgeon  would  not  enter  the  house  till  it  was  free  of 
debt.  May  6,  of  the  same  year,  there  appears  the  following 
entry : 

“  We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  church  lately 
worshiping  in  New  Park  Street  Chapel,  but  now  assembling 
in  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle,  Newington,  desire  with 
overflowing  hearts  to  make  known  and  record  the  loving¬ 
kindness  of  our  faithful  God.  W e  asked  in  faith  ;  but  the 
Lord  has  exceeded  our  desires,  for  not  only  was  the  whole 


ipolitan  Tabernacle. 


LTFR  OF  SPURGEON. 


'  51 

sum  given  us,  but  far  sooner  than  we  had  looked  for  it. 
Truly  the  Lord  is  good  and  worthy  to  be  praised.  .  .  .  To 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  we  offer  praise  and  thanks¬ 
giving,  and  we  set  our  seal  that  God  is  true.” 

The  building  complete  cost  thirty-one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  thirty-two  pounds,  four  shillings,  ten  pence, 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  thousand  dollars.  It  has 
a  main  hall  with  room  for  six  thousand  without  excessive 
crowding,  a  lecture  room  holding  nine  hundred,  a  school 
room  holding  one  thousand,  six  class  rooms,  kitchen,  lava¬ 
tory,  and  retiring  rooms,  ladies’  working  room,  young  men’s 
class  room,  secretary’s  room,  three  vestries,  for  pastor,  dea¬ 
cons,  and  elders,  and  three  store  rooms. 

As  the  raising  of  the  money  was  an  act  of  faith  and 
prayer,  so  the  same  spirit  prevailed  in  the  erection  and  com¬ 
pletion  of  the  building.  One  evening,  while  the  work  was 
under  way,  after  the  workmen  had  gone,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
with  Deacon  Cook  kneeled  amid  the  piles  of  brick  and 
planks,  asking  that  God  would  give  prosperity  to  the  work 
of  building,  would  preserve  the  lives  of  the  men  employed, 
and  would  make  the  house  when  completed  a  blessing.  All 
the  prayers  were  abundantly  granted.  The  first  service  held 
in  the  Tabernacle,  March  18, 1861,  was  a  prayer  meeting,  led 
by  the  pastor,  at  which  more  than  a  thousand  were  present. 

The  first  sermon  was  preached  by  the  pastor,  Monday, 
March  25.  On  the  following  day,  there  was  a  public  meet¬ 
ing,  at  which  Sir  Henry  Havelock  Allan  (son  of  Gen. 
Henry  Havelock)  presided.  On  the  following  day  a  meet¬ 
ing  was  held,  which  was  addressed  by  representatives  of 
various  evangelical  denominations.  Other  meetings  followed, 
at  one  of  which  Rev.  John  Spurgeon,  the  pastor’s  father, 
presided. 


52 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


And  now,  with  new  facilities,  with  new  courage,  with  a 
new  degree  of  faith  built  on  God’s  fulfilled  promises,  with 
an  army  of  helpers  flushed  with  confidence  in  God,  began  a 
new  era  in  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  ministry. 

For  the  sake  of  unity,  we  have  omitted  many  events 
which  in  order  of  time  belong  to  the  years  1854-1861. 

In  the  fall  of  1854,  a  sermon  upon  “Harvest  Time” 
attracted  much  attention,  and  when  published,  had  a  large 
circulation.  Another  sermon  followed  on  “  God’s  Provi¬ 
dence.”  The  success  of  these  printed  sermons  led  to  the 
weekly  issue,  beginning  January,  1855,  of  “The  New  Park 
Street  Pulpit,”  afterwards  changed  to  “  The  Metropolitan 
Pulpit.” 

For  thirty-seven  years  the  issue  has  continued,  each 
number  containing  one  (sometimes  two)  sermon.  This 
enterprise  has  added  greatly  to  the  labors  of  Mr.  Spurgeon. 
Every  sermon  as  reported  was  carefully  revised  by  him  on 
Monday,  and  then  the  proof  corrected  on  Tuesday.  But 
the  increased  usefulness  paid  for  the  labor.  The  sermons 
have  had  a  circulation  of  twenty-five  thousand  weekly, 
though  sometimes  rising  much  higher.  They  have  been 
scattered  in  every  continent  and  every  land.  They  have 
been  reprinted  in  volumes,  in  newspapers  and  in  maga¬ 
zines  beyond  number.  Reports  of  conversions  resulting 
from  the  reading  of  the  sermons  came  from  America,  from 
Canada,  from  Australia,  from  New  Zealand,  from  the  mines, 
from  the  sea,  from  the  prison,  from  the  hospital.  In  many 
instances,  the  sermons  were  adopted  by  clergymen  of  the 
Anglican  Church,  who  have  recorded  a  marked  increase  of 
interest  in  their  congregations. 

In  July,  1855,  Mr.  Spurgeon  visited  Scotland.  His  name 
had  preceded  him,  and  he  was  welcomed  with  intense  and 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.',  53 

universal  enthusiasm,  preaching  the  same  gospel  which  had 
thundered  from  the  pulpit  of  Knox. 

On  the  evening  of  September  4,  of  the  same  year,  he 
preached  in  the  open  air  in  Hackney  to  twelve  thousand 
people,  on  “  Heaven  and  Hell.” 

In  1857,  upon  the  Day  of  Fasting  for  the  disasters  in 
India,  he  preached  in  the  Crystal  Palace  at  Sydenham  to 
an  audience  estimated  at  twenty  to  twenty-four  thousand. 

In  1856,  he  was  present  at  the  jubilee  of  his  grandfather, 
Rev.  James  Spurgeon,  pastor  at  Stambourne,  and  preached ; 
perhaps  giving  occasion  for  the  venerable  man  to  repeat 
once  more : 

“  My  grandson  can  preach  the  gospel  better  than  I  can ; 
but  he  cannot  preach  a  better  gospel.” 

On  January  8,  1856,  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  marriod  to  Miss 
Susannah  Thompson,  the  lady  who,  as  stated  in  a  pre¬ 
vious  chapter,  was  persuaded  to  go  to  the  New  Park  Street 
Chapel  to  help  make  an  audience  to  greet  the  strange  min¬ 
ister  from  Essex,  and  who,  as  we  write,  mourns  for  the  kind¬ 
est  of  husbands  and  the  noblest  of  men,  amid  a  sympathy 
such  as  was  never  exceeded  in  its  depths  and  tenderness  and 
universality. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  METROPOLITAN  TABERNACLE. 

rnHUS  lie  began  a  ministry  which,  whether  we  consider 
J-  its  circumstances,  its  results,  or  the  mental  and  moral 
traits  which  it  evidenced,  has  no  parallel.  The  congregations, 
overflowing  at  first,  continued  to  tax  the  great  house.  To 
the  end  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  life,  the  only  question  as  to  a  con¬ 
gregation  was :  “  How  many  will  the  house  contain  ?  How 
many  will  his  voice  reach  ?  ” 

But  we  are  interrupted  by  the  criticism  of  those  who  hold 
that  the  popular  judgment  is  necessarily  false,  and  that  they 
have  pronounced  the  severest  and  most  crushing  condemna¬ 
tion  of  a  ministry  or  a  sermon  when  they  have  said:  “It  is 
popular;  it  is  sensational.”  They  would  be  pleased  if 
the  Revisers  had  written  in  the  margin  opposite  the  clause, 
“  The  common  people  heard  him  gladly,”  the  annotation, 
“  Many  good  manuscripts  omit  these  words.”  An  Anglican 
rector  said  to  Rev.  C.  H.  Woolston:  “Spurgeon  has  been 
a  curse ;  he  has  been  so  sensational.” 

But,  before  we  condemn  a  ministry  because  it  is  popular 
and  sensational,  it  is  worth  while  to  ask,  “  Upon  what  was 
the  popularity  based  ?  Did  the  preacher  modify  his  utter¬ 
ances  to  please  the  populace  ?  Did  he  dilute  or  adulterate 
the  gospel  ?  Did  he  sacrifice  truth  ?  What  was  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  sensations  ?  And  were  they  mere  sensations,  or 
did  they  lead  to  action  ?  And,  if  to  action,  to  what  action  ? 

No  one  can  deny  that  Mr.  Spurgeon  preached  Calvinism 

54 


LIFE  OF  SPUE  GEO. V. 


55 

without  omitting  or  softening  a  single  feature.  He  did  not 
call  sin  by  mild  names.  He  did  not  cover  the  bottomless 
pit.  Over  and  over  again,  he  distinctly  and  consciously 
periled  his  popularity  and  stood  ready,  for  the  sake  of  what 
he  regarded  as  truth,  to  break  with  his  supporters  and  his 
best  friends,  both  without  and  within  the  denomination. 

His  preaching  did  create  a  sensation.  Alas,  if  it  had  not ! 
All  preaching  that  is  preaching  creates  a  sensation,  from 
Isaiah  and  Jonah  down  to  Edwards  and  Whitefield,  and 
Finney  and  Spurgeon.  Herein  lies  the  difference  between 
a  “  study  ”  and  a  “  sermon.”  A  study  informs  the  mind ;  a 
sermon  informs  but  also  moves  to  action.  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 
discourses  were  sermons. 

They  moved  the  conscience ;  they  led  men  to  Christ.  In 
1854,  the  church  numbered  313  ;  the  following  year,  595  ; 
the  next  year,  860  ;  in  1857,  1,046 ;  and  so  it  continued 
until  in  1875,  it  numbered  4,813.  Had  no  members  been  lost 
by  death  and  otherwise  in  the  meantime,  it  would  have 
numbered  8,000.  In  1886,  the  deacons  found,  on  examining 
the  church  records,  that  the  number  received  as  converts  by 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  not  including  those  by  letter,  was  10,809. 

“And  I  only  wish,”  said  Mr.  Spurgeon,  in  mentioning  this 
fact,  “  that  it  had  been  twenty  thousand.” 

By  the  time  of  his  death,  the  number  was  increased  by 
several  thousands.  And  if  to  these  were  added  the  great 
army  led  to  Christ  by  reading  his  sermons,  or  by  hearing 
them  from  other  pulpits,  how  are  the  words  of  our  Lord  ful¬ 
filled:  “Herein  Ls  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much 
fruit ;  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples.” 

As  to  the  character  of  those  whom  he  gathered  into  the 
church,  it  is  attested  by  the  tender  and  sympathizing  love 
which  prevailed  between  pastor  and  people,  by  the  constant 


56 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


acts  of  benevolence  and  sacrifice  with  which  they  answered 
his  calls  upon  them,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  devotion  which 
pervaded  the  prayer  meetings. 

But  perhaps  it  is  implied  that  his  preaching  was  adapted 
to  catch  the  ear  of  the  ignorant  only. 

Francis  Wayland,  about  1857,  wrote  to  his  son : 

I  have  been  reading  several  sermons  in  Spurgeon’s  new 
volume.  I  am  struck  with  several  things ;  first,  the  mani¬ 
fest  truthfulness  of  the  man,  arising  from  his  perfect  belief 
in  all  that  he  says.  The  truths  of  religion  are  as  much  a 
verity  to  him  as  his  own  existence.  Second,  his  intimate  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  the  whole  Bible.  It  bubbles  up  everywhere 
as  soon,  as  he  begins  to  speak.  He  uses  it  with  great  power 
to  express  his  own  ideas.  Third,  as  a  result  of  this,  is  his 
manner  of  making  a  sermon.  He  does  not  draw  an  abstract 
idea  out  of  the  text,  but  expands  and  illustrates  the  very 
text  itself.  It  opens  to  him  a  train,  or  several  trains  of 
thought,  which  he  illustrates  from  everything  around  him. 
It  is  owing  to  this  that  he  has  so  great  variety.  Were  he  to 
deduce  abstract  propositions,  he  would  of  necessity  often  re¬ 
peat  himself.  Fourth,  he  takes  the  very  range  of  the 
thoughts  of  his  hearers.  They  therefore  all  follow  him. 
And  then  again,  while  he  is  accused  of  egotism,  he  seems  to 
me  to  forget  himself  and  his  reputation  more  than  any  man  I 
know  of.  He  seems  not  to  care  what  people  say  of  him  or 
do  to  him,  if  he  can  only  convert  them. 

In  1867,  General  Garfield,  who  was  elected  President  in 
1880,  attended  the  Tabernacle  and  wrote  in  his  journal 
(“Century  Magazine,”  1883)  : 

I  did  not  intend  to  listen  to  Spurgeon  as  to  some  lusus 
naturae,  but  to  try  to  discover  what  manner  of  man  he  was, 
and  what  was  the  secret  of  his  power.  ...  At  half-past 
eleven  Spurgeon  came  in,  and  at  once  offered  a  short,  simple, 
earnest  prayer,  and  read  and  helped  the  whole  congregation 
to  sing  W atts’  stirring  hymn : 

There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON-. 


57 


For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  felt  some  sympathy  with 
the  doctrine  that  would  reject  instrumental  music  from  church 
worship.  There  must  have  been  five  thousand  voices  join¬ 
ing  in  the  hymn.  The  whole  building  was  filled  and  over¬ 
flowed  with  the  strong  volume  of  song.  The  music  made 
itself  felt  as  a  living,  throbbing  presence,  that  entered  your 
nerves,  brain,  heart,  and  filled  and  swept  you  away  in  its 
resistless  current. 

After  the  singing,  he  read  a  chapter  of  Job,  and  then  a 
contrasted  passage  from  Paul,  both  relating  to  life  and  death. 
He  accompanied  his  reading  with  familiar  and  sensible, 
sometimes  expositional,  comments ;  then  followed  another 
hymn,  a  longer  prayer,  a  short  hymn,  and  then  the  sermon 
from  a  text  in  the  chapter  he  had  read  in  Job  14  :  14,  “All 
the  days  of  my  appointed  time  will  I  wait,  till  my  change 
come.”  He  evidently  proceeded  upon  the  assumption  that 
the  Bible,  all  the  Bible,  in  its  very  words,  phrases,  and  sen¬ 
tences,  is  the  word  of  God ;  and  that  a  microscopic  exami¬ 
nation  of  it  will  reveal  ever-opening  beauties  and  blessings. 
All  the  while,  he  impresses  you  with  that,  and  also  with  the 
living  fullness  and  abundance  of  his  faith  in  the  presence 
of  God  and  the  personal  accountability  of  all  to  him.  An 
unusual  fullness  of  belief  in  these  respects  seems  to  me  to 
lie  at  the  foundation  of  his  power.  Intellectually  he  is 
marked  by  his  ability  to  hold  with  great  tenacity,  and  pursue 
with  great  persistency  any  line  of  thought  he  chooses.  He 
makes  the  most  careful'and  painstaking  study  of  the  subject 
in  hand.  No  doubt  fully  as  much  of  his  success  depends 
upon  his  labor,  as  upon  his  force  of  intellect.  He  has  chosen 
the  doctrines  and  the  literature  of  the  Bible  as  his  field,  and 
does  not  allow  himself  to  be  drawn  aside.  He  rarely  Avan- 
ders  into  the  fields  of  poesy,  except  to  find  the  stirring  hymms 
which  may  serve  to  illustrate  his  theme.  He  uses  Bible 
texts  and  ipcidents  with  great  readiness  and  appropriate¬ 
ness,  and  directs  all  his  power,  not  toward  his  sermon,  but 
toward  his  hearers.  His  arrangement  is  clear,  logical,  and 
perfectly  comprehensible ;  and  at  the  end  of  each  main 
division  of  the  sermon,  he  makes  a  personal  application  of 
the  truth  developed,  to  his  hearers,  and  asks  God  to  hless  it. 
His  manner  is  exceedingly  simple  and  unaffected.  He  does 
not  appear  to  be  aware  that  he  is  doing  a  great  thing,  and  I 
could  see  no  indication  that  his  success  has  turned  his  head. 


58 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


He  has  the  word-painting  power  quite  at  his  command,  but 
uses  it  sparingly.  I  could  see  those  nervous  motions  of  the 
hands  and  feet  which  all  forcible  speakers  make  when  pre¬ 
paring  to  speak ;  and  also  in  the  speaking,  the  sympathy 
between  his  body  and  his  thoughts  which  controlled  his 
gestures,  and  produced  those  little  touches  of  theatrical 
power,  which  are  so  effective  in  a  speaker.  .  .  . 

Every  good  man  ought  to  be  thankful  for  the  work 
Spurgeon  is  doing.  I  could  not  but  contrast  this  worship 
with  that  I  saw  a  few  days  ago  at  Westminister  Abbey.  In 
that  proud  old  mausoleum  of  kings,  venerable  with  years 
and  royal  pride,  the  great  organ  rolled  out  its  deep  tones, 
and  sobbed  and  thundered  its  grand  music,  mingled  with 
the  intoning  of  the  hired  singers.  Before  the  assembly  of 
rich  and  titled  worshipers,  sat  a  choir  of  twenty  persons. 
The  choir  boys  in  their  white  robes  had  been  fighting  among 
the  tombs  and  monuments  of  the  nave  just  before  the  ser¬ 
vice  began.  However  devout  and  effective  their  worship 
may  be,  it  is  very  costly,  and  must  be  confined,  to  a  great 
extent,  to  the  higher  classes.  I  felt  that  Spurgeon  had 
opened  an  asylum  where  the  great  untitled,  the  poor  and 
destitute  of  this  great  city,  could  come  and  find  their  sorrows 
met  with  sympathy  ;  their  lowliness  and  longings  for  a  better 
life  touched  by  a  large  heart  and  an  undoubted  faith.  God 
bless  Spurgeon  !  He  is  helping  to  work  out  the  problem  of 
religious  and  civil  liberty  for  England,  in  a  way  he  knows 
not  of. 

The  following  is  the  record  of  the  impressions  made  by 
a  visit  in  1881,  and  in  1886  : 

April  3,  1881. — The  service  was  to  begin  at  eleven.  One 
of  the  door-keepers  told  me  that  if  I  would  wait  a  little  while, 
I  should  be  given  a  seat.  With  a  view  to  enlisting  him  in  my 
behalf  in  the  matter  of  a  seat,  I  offered  him  a  shilling,  which 
he  declined, saying,  “We  do  not  do  that  here.”  You  might 
have  knocked  me  down  with  the  smallest  pin-feather.  All 
over  the  kingdom,  the  officials  of  the  richest  church  in 
Christendom  stand  with  outstretched  palm,  ready  to  receive 
shillings  and  sixpences  for  showing  the  people  the  churches 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


59 


built  with  the  people’s  own  money,  while  this  plain  laboring 
man,  in  a  church  paid  for  by  the  pennies  of  working  men 
and  working  women,  refuses  a  shilling.  The  friendly  and 
non-shilling-accepting  doorkeeper  directed  me  to  an  elderly 
man  (Mr.  Edward  Bonstead,  now  deceased)  who  kindly  gave 
me  a  very  eligible  seat  in  his  pew  in  the  first  gallery,  which 
is  on  a  level  with  the  pulpit,  from  which  I  could  see  and 
hear  everything.  This  gentleman,  a  member  of  the  church 
and  a  pew  holder,  was  most  hospitable  throughout  this  and 
a  later  visit  to  England,  always  reserving  for  me  a  seat,  as 
long  as  possible.  At  five  minutes  before  eleven  one  of  the 
ushers  clapped  his  hands,  and  at  once  strangers  took  any  seats 
they  could  find.  A  moment  or  two  after  eleven,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  came  down  the  steps  from  his  study,  toward  the 
pulpit,  walking  with  some  difficulty,  and  leaning  upon  the 
ends  of  the  pews.  While  you  would  hardly  select  him  as  a 
man  of  mark,  yet  his  appearance  is  much  more  prepossessing 
than  I  expected.  None  of  the  pictures  do  him  justice. 
There  was  none  of  the  heaviness  usually  seen  in  the  por¬ 
traits.  The  most  admirable  thing  of  all  was  the  entire 
naturalness,  the  unconscious  forgetfulness  of  self. 

He  read  Romans  5  with  running  comments,  brief 
and  admirable. 

The  prayer — it  is  difficult  to  sit  in  judgment  on  a 
prayer ;  but  I  may  say  that  for  sweetness  and  simplicity,  and 
sympathy,  and  depth  of  experience,  and  closeness  of  inter¬ 
course  with  God  and  forgetfulness  of  the  presence  of  any¬ 
body  else,  I  have  never  heard  anything  surpassing  it. 

The  sermon  was  from  Romans  5:15:  “  Not  as  the  offence, 
so  also  is  the  free  gift.”  The  old  doctrine  of  Justification 
by  Faith  was  made  new  and  living,  not  by  any  novel  state¬ 
ment,  but  by  freshness  and  vividness  of  experience  and 


60 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON . 


application,  illustrating  the  truth,  that  if  the  doctrines  seem 
to  us  worn  out,  it  is  because  we  have  ceased  to  experience 
them. 

At  the  close  of  the  service,  I  asked  one  of  the  deacons 
if  Mr.  Spurgeon  cared  to  see  any  one  after  preaching.  He 
said  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  usually  so  tired  that  he  thought  he 
would  not.  So  I  gave  the  deacon  my  card,  just  as  a  mark 
of  respect,  to  let  Mr.  Spurgeon  know  that  I  had  been  there ; 
and  I  was  going  out,  when  I  was  called  back  and  told  that 
Mr.  Spurgeon  wanted  to  see  me.  He  received  me,  an  entire 
stranger,  most  cordially.  In  personal  intercourse,  he  was 
as  -winning  and  as  simple  as  in  the  pulpit.  He  said  very 
simply,  speaking  of  it  as  a  plain  matter  of  fact,  “  I  am 
almost  worn  out.”  I  urged  his  being  absent  for  six  months 
or  a  year.  He  said,  “  They  are  talking  about  that ;  but  it 
is  hard  to  do  it.  There  is  so  much  on.  my  hands ;  and  when 
I  am  away  the  money  does  not  come  in.”  I  was  distressed 
to  see  the  marks  of  overwork  and  of  too  early  age. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  I  attended  St.  Paul’s. 
There  were  perhaps  one  thousand  persons  present,  seated  in 
a  portion  of  the  immense  nave.  The  introductory  service, 
which  is  known,  I  believe,  distinctly  as  worship,  lasted  an 
hour.  Of  this  service,  I  heard  distinctly  six  words.  Of 
the  sermon,  by  Canon  Liddon,  an  elderly,  fine-looking  man, 
I  heard  perhaps  one-fifth,  and  that  by  the  most  watchful 
attention. 

St.  Paul’s  cost  originally  seven  hundred  and  forty  thou¬ 
sand  pounds,  which,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  represented 
two  or  three  times  that  amount  now.  Enlargements  and  re¬ 
pairs  have  swelled  the  cost  to  millions  of  pounds.  I  do  not 
know  how  much  it  costs  annually  to  run  it ;  but  it  takes  one 
dean,  four  canons,  thirty  prebendaries,  twelve  minor  canons, 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


01 


and  six  vicars,  besides  an  army  of  singers  and  other  officials. 
All  this  to  enable  a  thousand  people  not  to  hear.  The 
Tabernacle  cost  thirty  thousand  pounds.  I  will  not  enlarge 
upon  the  comparison. 

On  Thursday  evening,  April  14,  I  found  perhaps  one 
thousand  five  hundred  at  the  Tabernacle.  The  sermon  was 
from  Colossiaus  3:15:  “  And  let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in 
your  hearts,  to  the  which  also  ye  are  called  in  one  body ; 
and  be  ye  thankful.” 

It  was  not  a  “talk,”  such  as  some  minister's,  in  some  dis¬ 
tant  continents,  or  in  some  other  planet,  might  give  on  a 
week-day  evening.  It  was  a  consecutive  train  of  thought 
and  feeling,  and  struck  me  as  showing  more  power  than 
the  Sunday  sermon.  I  will  give  the  plan,  from  the  scrap  of 
paper  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  afterward,  at  my  request,  gave 
me. 

Colossians  3:15. 

The  prevalence  of  trouble,  quarreling,  discontent,  dis¬ 
quietude. 

Is  it  the  East  Wind  ?  Is  it  a  low  state  of  grace  ? 

Oh,  that  we  knew  a  remedy  for  it !  Pills  for  the  earth¬ 
quake.  We  have  no  empiric  here,  but  the  good  Phj-sician 

I.  Possess  the  peace  of  Qod. 

1.  Peace  with  God  by  Christ,  as  to  spirituals. 

2.  Peace  with  God,  as  to  all  providences. 

3.  Peace,  such  as  God  commands  and  approves. 

4.  Peace,  such  as  he  works  in  the  soul. 

5.  Peace,  perfect,  lasting,  deep,  divine. 

II.  Let  it  occupy  the  throne. 

1.  There  must  be  rule,  to  be  peace. 

2.  Call  for  its  power  to  put  down  all  turbulence. 

3.  Yield  to  its  umpireship. 

4.  Let  its  power  be  constant. 

5.  Especially  over  the  affections. 


62 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


III.  Strengthen  yourself  with  arguments. 

1.  You  can  only  so  be  yourself  happy  in  heart. 

2.  Only  thus  can  the  church  prosper. 

3.  Only  thus  can  God  be  glorified. 

4.  To  this  ye  are  called. 

5.  Ye  are  one  body. 

6.  Cast  yourself  upon  God  and  see  that  peace  he  works. 

r  IV.  Occupy  your  mind  healthily. 

1.  With  thankfulness  to  God. 

2.  With  thankfulness  to  others. 

3.  With  a  general  amiability. 

The  sermon  was  textual  rather  than  topical,  though  it 
partook  of  both  characters.  Mr.  Spurgeon  let  himself  out  a 
little  more  than  he  does  on  Sundays,  gave  a  little  more  play 
to  his  sympathies,  and  spoke  rather  more  familiarly.  At  one 
or  two  points  there  was  an  audible  smile,  as  when  he  spoke 
of  persons  who  ascribed  their  troubles  to  the  east  wind,  and 
when  he  said,  in  allusion  to  the  need  of  rule,  in  order  to  have 
peace,  “  A  great  many  persons  have  been  much  troubled  this 
week,  in  making  out  the  census  papers,  to  know  who  was  the 
head  of  the  family.” 

He  brought  out,  without  any  pedantry,  the  force  of  the 
word  rendered  rule' as  meaning  to  act  as  umpire.  The  peace 
of  God  is  to  settle  all  disputed  questions  in  the  soul.  This 
was  just  at  the  time  of  the  war  with  the  Boers ;  and  he  spoke 
very  strongly  of  the  love  of  war  and  of  the  cry  of  many 
Britons,  “  Cut  up  the  Dutch ;  cut  the  Boers ;  there  is  no  glory 
unless  we  wade  up  to  the  waist  in  blood.” 

One  of  the  deacons  told  me  that  when  Mr.  Spurgeon  began 
this  Thursday  evening  service  there  were  a  few  hundred  in 
attendance,  but  gradually  the  attendance  is  increasing.  This 
result  is  not  accomplished  by  scolding  those  who  come, 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  (53 

because  others  do  not  come,  but  by  another  method,  on 
wnich  I  am  not  sure  there  is  any  patent. 

Rev.  Brooks  Lambert,  M.  A.,  of  the  Established  Church, 
has  recently  been  preaching,  on  Sunday  evenings,  at  Bisli- 
opsgate  Church,  a  series  of  lectures  on  “  The  Church  and 
Dissent ;  or,  Dissent  from  a  Churchman’s  point  of  View.” 
In  alluding  to  the  Baptists,  he  spoke  of  Bunyan,  of  Carey, 
who  inaugurated  missions,  and  of  “  Spurgeon,  who,  whatever 
else  might  be  said  about  him,  has  revolutionized  modern 
preaching.” 

Sept.  26,  1886.— To-day  found  me  in  the  Tabernacle. 
Mr.  Spurgeon  was  looking  well,  and  his  voice  is,  as  ever,  full, 
strong,  rich.  He  read  Psalm  30,  and  his  comments  were 
delightful.  As  he  comments,  you  say :  “  Yes,  that  is  in  the 
verse  plain  enough ;  I  wonder  that  I  never  saw  it  before ;  ” 
but  you  never  did,  you  know.  Thus,  on  verse  1,  “  I  will  extol 
thee,  O  Lord,  for  thou  hast  lifted  me  up,”  he  said,  “  When 
God  lifts  us  up,  we  ought  to  lift  him  up ;  if  he  is  our  physi¬ 
cian,  we  ought  to  pay  him  the  fee  of  our  praise.”  On  verse 
4,  “  Sing  praises  unto  the  Lord,  O  ye  saints  of  his,”  “  The 
good  man  does  not  feel  that  his  own  voice  is  enough ;  he 
wants  all  to  praise  God.”  Verse  5,  “  His  anger  is  but  for  a 
moment;  .  .  .  weeping  may  endure  for  the  night,”  etc. Be 
patient,  you  that  are  in  the  night ;  the  morning  will  soon  be 
here ;  God  does  let  out  his  anger  toward  his  children  some¬ 
times,  as  the  tender  father  toward  an  erring  child  ;  but  it  is 
not  a  killing  anger.”  Verse  6,  “  I  said  in  my  prosperity  I 
shall  never  be  moved  ;  ”  “Very  foolish  in  you,  David  ;  but 
that  is  the  way  with  us  all.”  Verse  7,  “Thou  didst  hide  thy 
face,  I  was  troubled  ” ;  “  That  child  of  God  who  is  not  troubled 
when  God  hides  his  face,  is  in  a  bad  way.”  Verse  8,  “  I  cried 
unto  thee,  O  Lord ;  ”  “  Prayer  comes  in  well  at  all  times,  when 


64 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


you  see  God,  and  when  you  do  not  see  him.”  Verse  11, 
“  Thou  hast  loosed  my  sackcloth  and  girded  me  with  glad¬ 
ness  ;  ”  “A  wonderful  expression ;  God  did  not  gird  him  with 
the  emblem  of  gladness,  hut  with  gladness  itself ;  our  sorrows 
are  only  seeming ;  our  joys  are  real.”  Verse  12,  “  To  the  end 
that,”  etc.  “  See  what  is  the  purpose  for  which  God  gives  you 
a  joyful  mind  ;  that  you  may  praise  him.”  “  My  God ;  ”  “  You 
must  have  a  personal  knowledge  of  God  or  else  you  will 
never  praise  him  aright.” 

Then  he  read  Psalm  39.  Verse  2,  “I  was  dumb  with 
silence ;  ”  “  That  is  just  like  us ;  when  we  try  to  do  a  right  thing, 
we  overdo  it,  and  make  it  a  wrong  thing ;  it  was  right  to 
keep  his  mouth  with  a  bridle ;  it  was  wrong  to  he  dumb.” 
Verse  4,  ‘  Lord  make  me,”  etc. ;  “  When  he  did  speak,  it  was 
not  to  men,  but  to  God.”  Verse  7,  “  What  wait  I  for  ?  ”  “  Yes, 
that  is  the  question  ;  what  am  I  waiting  and  looking  for  ?  ” 
“  My  hope  is  in  thee.”  “  Happy  man !  ”  Verse  8,  “  Deliver 
me  from  all  my  transgressions  ;  ”  “  They  are  my  worst  ene¬ 
mies,  my  greatest  danger.”  Verne  9,  “  I  was  dumb  ;  ”  “  Some¬ 
times  it  is  a  good  thing  for  a  child  of  God  to  be  dumb  ;  hut 
it  is  a  better  thing  to  say,  ‘  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord 
hath  taken  away  ;  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.’  ”  Verse 
12,  “  I  am  a  stranger  with  thee  ;  ”  “  Not  a  stranger  to  thee ; 
God  and  I  are  both  strangers  in  this  world ;  God  is  a 
stranger  in  the  world  which  he  has  made.” 

I  think  I  never  heard  any  one  else  read  the  Scripture 
and  comment  on  it  as  he  does.  You  feel  that,  from  this  time, 
that  passage  will  be  a  new  chapter  to  you ;  that  there  will 
be  new  light  on  it  as  often  as  you  open  to  it. 

The  morning  sermon  was  from  Job  30  :  23 :  “  I  know 
that  thou  wilt  bring  me  to  death,”  etc.  Among  the  points 
were  these :  W e  have  here  a  piece  of  personal  knowledge, 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


65 


the  certainty  of  death;  and  a  piece  of  holy  intelligence: 
Thou  wilt  bring  me  to  death  ;  God  will  be  with  us  in  death  ; 
and  if  he  brings  us  to  death,  he  will  bring  us  to  life  again. 
How  we  may  be  freed  from  the  fear  of  death.  Let  us  be 
humble ;  let  us  be  diligent.  These  are  awful  words ;  but 
they  are  the  words  of  Jesus,  and  therefore  I  must  quote 
them :  “  In  hell,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments.” 
There  is  no  nonsense  here  about  “  the  larger  hope.”  These 
are  the  words  of  one  who  loved  you  more  than  these 
philosophers  do. 

After  the  sermon,  I  went  in  to  have  a  moment  with  the 
honored  preacher.  He  had  noticed  me  in  the  audience  and 
was  expecting  me.  He  said,  “  You  are  quite  large  enough  to 
be  seen  with  the  naked  eye.”  Nothing  could  be  more  kind 
than  his  greeting.  He  had  been  hard  at  work  now  since 
March ;  he  will  go  away  in  November  to  escape  the  fog. 
He  gave  me  the  welcome  news  that  Mrs.  Spurgeon  is  much 
better.  The  Lord  has  heard  the  many  loving  prayers 
offered  for  her  by  the  thousands  who  have  been  blessed  by 
the  labor  of  her  hands  and  heart  and  head. 

In  the  evening,  as  in  the  morning,  he  gave  notice  of  the 
church  meetings ;  of  a  meeting  to  give  thanks  for  the  re¬ 
covery  of  a  dear  brother  who  has  had  a  serious  and  danger¬ 
ous  illness ;  of  an  inquiry  meeting  conducted  by  the  pastor, 
and  another  by  the  deacons ;  of  the  weekly  sermon  on 
Thursday  evening,  followed  by  baptisms.  If  any  one 
thinks  that  the  church  does  not  have  pastoral  care,  he  is 
greatly  mistaken. 

In  the  morning  prayer,  many  subjects  had  been  em¬ 
braced — the  nation,  the  great  city,  the  United  States,  missions. 
But  in  the  evening,  there  were  but  two  subjects  of  prayer, 
God’s  children  and  unsaved  sinners.  The  prayers  were  most 


06 


LIFE  OF  SPUEGEON. 


devotional,  earnest,  uplifting.  I  wondered  anew  at  those 
who  want  a  set  ritual  for  the  Lord’s  house. 

The  text  was  Judges  10:22:  “Howbeit,  the  hair  of  his 
head  began  to  grow  again.”  The  growth  of  Samson’s  hair 
was  treated  as  a  symbol  of  the  return  of  the  backslider. 
The  text  was  a  little  quaint,  and  the  whole  sermon  was 
sure  to  fix  the  attention.  There  was  wonderful  closeness,  di¬ 
rectness,  revealing  the  inner  soul  of  man.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  every  one  in  the  vast  audience  must  feel  himself 
personally  addressed.  Now  and  then  there  was  a  gleam  of 
humor,  not  distracting  or  dissipating,  but  adding  to  the 
effect,  and  relieving  from  fatigue.  There  was  also,  what  I 
do  not  remember  on  former  occasions,  a  certain  something 
that  called  out  now  and  then  a  response  from  some  earnest 
soul.  What  a  foolish  prejudice  there  is  against  responses. 
A  response  is  all  right,  if  it  is  printed  in  a  book,  and  read 
out ;  but  it  is  all  wrong,  if  it  is  forced  from  the  soul  by  pro¬ 
found  emotion. 

As  I  rode  home  on  top  of  the  omnibus,  I  was  interested 
in  this  illustration  of  the  far-reaching  influence  of  the 
Tabernacle  pulpit.  Sitting  next  me  was  a  Scotch-Irisli  Pres¬ 
byterian  from  Londonderry ;  next  him  was  a  Methodist 
missionary  lady  (American),  laboring  in  China,  now  on  her 
way  back  thither ;  and  I  was  from  the  W estern  Hemisphere. 

It  illustrates  the  power  of  his  personality  that  the 
.omnibus  driver  or  conductor,  if  you  ask  him,  “  Do  you  go 
to  the  Elephant  and  Castle?”  answers,  “We  go  right  by 
Spurgeon’s  ;  set  you  down  at  the  door.” 

Notes  of  a  sermon  preached  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  on  Sun¬ 
day  morning,  July  19,  1885,  are  kindly  furnished  by  Rev. 
Dr.  J.  G.  Walker,  who  was  present  on  the  occasion,  and  to 
whom  the  manuscript  was  subsequently  given. 


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LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


69 


To  one  hearing  him  again,  after  an  interval  of  five  and 
a  half  years,  his  preaching  seemed  to  have  gained  in  depth, 
in  tenderness,  in  a  grasp  of  the  spirit  of  the  Scripture,  in 
breadth  of  sympathy.  I  cannot  at  all  agree  with  those  who  say 
that  his  earliest  sermons  were  just  as  good  as  those  of  mature 
life.  Although  I  did  not  hear  him  in  his  youth,  I  can  fully 
sympathize  with  Prof.  T.  H.  Pattison,  D.  D.,  of  Rochester 
Theological  Seminary,  who  heard  him  in  the  long  ago,  in 
Exeter  Hall,  and  who  writes : 

As  I  look  back  on  the  slight  young  fellow,  moving  rap¬ 
idly  across  the  platform,  full  of  assurance  and  on  familiar 
terms  with  everything  seen  and  unseen,  it  is  only  to  contrast 
him  with  the  Spurgeon  of  later  days,  deliberate,  reverent, 
almost  awe-struck  in  the  presence  of  God  in  prayer,  and  too 
deeply  in  earnest  to  trifle  for  a  single  moment. 

One  marked  feature  of  the  preaching  in  the  Tabernacle 
was  its  evenness ;  there  was  not  much  to  mark  one  sermon 
from  another,  save  as  each  seemed  an  advance  on  those 
which  had  gone  before.  But  one  sermon  became  at  once 
historic.  On  June  5,  1864,  Mr.  Spurgeon  preached  on 
“  Baptismal  Regeneration.”  Probably  never  did  he  preach 
under  a  more  urgent  and  irresistible  sense  of  duty.  He  saw 
that  a  lamentable  error  on  a  vital  point  was  spreading 
through  the  Anglican  Church ;  that  this  Church  was  strong 
and  wealthy,  crowned  with  social  honors  and  allied  with  the 
power  of  the  State,  made  no  difference.  He  was  pressed  in 
the  spirit. 

If  I  should  provoke  some  hostility  ;  if  I  should,  through 
speaking  what  I  believe  to  be  the  truth,  lose  the  friendship 
of  some  and  stir  up  the  enmity  of  more,  T  cannot  help  it. 
The  burden  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  and  I  must  deliver  my 
soul.  I  have  been  loath  enough  to  undertake  the  work,  but 
I  am  forced  to  it  by  an  awful  and  overwhelming  sense  of 
solemn  duty. 


70 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


In  giving  the  manuscript  of  his  sermon  to  his  publishers, 
he  said : 

“  This  sermon  will  perhaps  wholly  put  an  end  to  the  cir¬ 
culation  of  my  sermons.” 

But  the  result  was  far  otherwise.  The  sermon  reached  the 
tremendous  circulation  of  three  hundred  thousand.  It  called 
out  replies  and  rejoinders  to  the  number  of  a  hundred.  The 
preacher  was  informed  by  the  officious  (and  we  may  almost  say 
“  too  previous  ”)  Secretary  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  that  he 
must  retract  his  words  or  withdraw  from  the  Alliance ;  Mr. 
Spurgeon  promptly  did  the  latter.  As  he  had  feared,  many 
of  the  most  pious  of  the  Low  Church  clergy  were  deeply 
grieved.  But  he  had  done  his  duty.  And  rarely  has  a  man 
done  his  duty  against  greater  odds. 

Apart  from  the  every  other  consideration,  he  had  won  a 
great  victory  in  establishing  his  own  spiritual  freedom.  If 
he  had  weakly  withheld  his  word  of  protest,  when  con¬ 
science  bade  him  speak,  he  would  no  longer  have  been 
Spurgeon.  He  would  have  been  in  chains.  Certainly  he 
would  never  have  a  mightier  battle  to  fight. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


MR.  SPURGEON,  THE  PREACHER. 


By  Pres.  H.  G.  Weston,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.1 


HE  greatest  preacher  since  the  days  of  the  apostles ! 


This  has  been  my  judgment  for  years.  Take  your 


seat  in  the  gallery  of  the  Tabernacle,  at  the  left  hand  of 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  look  on  the  congregation.  Every  foot 
of  space  is  occupied.  Through  the  open  door  opposite,  you 
can  see  a  company  of  listeners,  unable  to  enter  the  house, 
standing  patiently  throughout  the  service.  Other  preachers 
have  drawn  as  great  a  crowd  as  this,  but  here  is  a  man  who, 
ministering  for  thirty-eight  years  to  one  congregation, 
has  not  seen  a  Sunday  during  that  time  in  which  his  audi¬ 
ence  has  not  been  limited  only  by  the  size  of  the  building. 
He  has  used  no  arts  to  draw  hearers ;  he  luis  preached  no 
sensational  sermons,  has  presented  no  novel  ideas,  has  adver¬ 
tised  no  subjects,  has  taken  no  pains  to  make  himself  known  ; 
yet  for  more  than  a  generation  there  has  been  no  fluctuation 
of  his  power  and  popularity,  no  ebb  in  the  steady  tide,  no 
variation  in  the  strength  of  his  hold  upon  the  people.  On 
what  page  of  Christian  history  can  this  be  paralleled  ? 

His  success  is  all  his  own.  He  came  to  London,  an  un¬ 
known  youth,  to  take  charge  of  an  enfeebled  church,  in  a 
denomination  which  had  no  social  prestige,  with  n  (thing  in 
the  surroundings  to  attract  and  hold  a  congregation.  He 

•The  author  of  the  volume  congratulates  the  reader  that.  “  Mr.  Spurgeon,  the 
Preacher”  is  treated  by  one  who  is  himself, not  only  an  instructor  in  the  art  of 
preaching,  but  also  a  master  of  the  most  divine  of  arts. 


6 


71 


72 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


attained  celebrity  at  once  as  a  boy-preaclier — a  youthful 
prodigy.  In  this  he  was  not  singular .  His  singularity  con¬ 
sisted  in  his  superiority  to  all  the  temptations  of  youthful 
phenomenal  success,  in  the  more  than  fulfillment  of  the 
promise  of  his  opening  ministry,  so  that  his  maturity,  sim¬ 
ple,  intense,  devout,  was  as  unique  and  wonderful  as  his  boy¬ 
hood. 

Look  on  this  congregation.  Its  composition  is  as  mar¬ 
velous  as  its  size.  There  are  very  few  in  the  great  crowd 
whom  I  know,  but  I  see  one  of  the  most  eminent  Presbyter¬ 
ian  laymen  in  the  United  States,  a  trustee  of  Princeton ; 
yonder  a  Methodist  bishop  from  America.  There  is  a  prom¬ 
inent  Episcopalian ;  by  his  side  a  literary  gentleman  of  no 
avowed  religious  faith.  A  casual  inquiry  brings  out  the 
fact  that  the  man  who  sits  next  to  me  is  from  Australia ; 
my  neighbor  on  the  other  side  is  from  one  of  our  Western 
Territories.  I  do  not  know  the  Englishmen.  I  recognize 
only  the  red  coats  of  some  bright  looking  young  soldiers, 
scattered  through  the  crowd,  but  I  am  informed  that  all 
ranks  and  classes  may  be  found  in  occasional  attendance  on 
the  Tabernacle.  At  this  moment  there  occurs  to  me  the 
names  of  Ruskin,  who  speaks  of  “  sitting  under  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon  with  much  edification  for  a  year  or  two  ;  ”  of  Principal 
Tulloch,  who,  in  a  letter  to  his  wife,  gives  a  long  and  glow¬ 
ing  description  of  a  sermon  of  Spurgeon’s  as  “about  the 
most  real  thing  I  have  come  in  contact  with  for  a  long 
time.” 

Other  men  have  preached  to  admiring  hearers,  but 
their  sermons,  when  printed,  have  been  read  with  disappoint¬ 
ment,  or  have  attained  a  circulation  among  a  limited  class. 
The  sermons  of  this  man  are  read  in  every  tongue  in  which 
Christian  truth  is  presented.  No  other  preacher  of  the  gos- 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


73 


pci  has  ever  addressed  so  many  of  his  fellow  men  on  the 
things  of  salvation.  Other  men  have  died,  and  their  thou¬ 
sands  of  adherents  have  bewailed  the  loss  of  their  leader ; 
other  men  have  died,  and  those  who  were  allied  to  them  by 
nationality,  or  faith,  or  work,  have  deeply  mourned  their 
departure;  but  when  has  the  preacher  died  whose  death  has 
so  touched  thousands  who  neither  in  race,  or  creed,  or  sect, 
were  bound  to  him  ?  In  London,  last  summer,  for  weeks, 
every  daily  paper,  morning  or  evening,  had  its  regular  tele¬ 
gram  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  condition.  At  the  door  of  this  Bap¬ 
tist  preacher — and  only  in  England  can  the  full  force  of 
these  two  words  be  understood — were  left  inquiries  and  mes¬ 
sages  of  sympathy  from  representatives  of  every  rank  and 
class  in  the  kingdom,  the  highest  dignitaries  in  the  State 
and  in  the  church  giving  expression  to  the  common  sympa¬ 
thy  and  sorrow.  Where  will  you  look  for  another  instance 
of  a  grief  so  catholic  and  universal  ? 

How  do  you  account  for  all  this  ?  What  is  the  explana¬ 
tion  of  this  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  ?  Of  course, 
it  all  sprang  from  his  preaching.  His  pulpit  was  the  centre 
and  source  of  his  hold  upon  men.  What  was  the  secret  of 
his  power  there  ?  Ah !  how  many  times  has  this  question 
been  asked  !  how  many  of  us  have  set  ourselves  to  study  this 
great  problem !  with  what  earnest  diligence  have  we  sought 
its  solution ! 

Let  us  take  our  seat  again,  and  look,  and  hear,  and 
think.  One  thing  is  at  once  evident ;  the  preacher  puts 
every  hearer  at  perfect  case.  Everything  is  so  restful.  He 
makes  no  draft  on  his  congregation.  His  voice,  clear  as  a 
silver  bell,  exactly  fills  the  room.  At  the  extreme  rear  of 
the  house,  in  spite  of  the  roar  of  trams  and  omnibuses  and 
hansoms,  his  words  all  come  clear  and  distinct.  You  do  not 


74 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


strain  your  ear ;  lie  does  not  strain  his  throat.  He  does  nor 
draw  on  your  sympathies  by  a  painful  effort  to  make  you 
hear ;  you  are  not  vexed  with  the  noisy  crowd  outside.  You 
could  not  listen  more  contentedly  if  you  and  he  were  in  a 
drawing  room.  Then  his  style  is  perfect:  in  pure,  per¬ 
spicuous,  racy,  idiomatic  English,  he  so  speaks  that  you  do 
not  have  to  give  him  your  attention,  or  keep  your  mind  on 
what  he  is  saying ;  you  cannot  help  hearing,  you  cannot  help 
understanding.  He  is  very  far  from  being  voluble,  yet  he 
never  hesitates  for  a  word,  and  never  recalls  a  word.  You 
have  no  anxiety  as  to  his  finding  just  the  word  he  wants. 
His  style  is  the  perfection  of  English  speech. 

He  is  no  orator ;  if  he  were,  he  would  necessarily  repel 
those  who  would  not  fancy  the  style  of  oratory  adopted. 
But  he  stands  and  talks  with  you.  Sometimes  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  together  he  makes  no  gesture.  His  manner  is 
that  of  a  dignified,  easy  con  vernation,  such  as  would  be 
adopted  by  good  taste  in  a  parlor,  modified  by  the  size  of  the 
room  and  the  number  of  listeners.  It  is  the  ideal  of  oral 
address. 

The  matter  of  his  discourse  exhibits  the  characteristics 
of  its  delivery.  No  effort  is  needed  to  grasp  or  to  retain  his 
thoughts ;  you  do  not  wish  to  stop  and  consider  what  he  is 
saying  or  to  ask  what  unsuspected  hearings  it  may  have. 
There  is  nothing  suggestive  about  his  sermon.  The  mind  is 
filled  just  even  full,  nothing  lacking,  nothing  running  over. 
You  keep  step  unconsciously  with  the  speaker,  never  lagging 
and  requiring  to  pull  yourself  up,  never  wandering  off  and 
obliged  to  bring  yourself  back  again. 

His  masterful  repose  is  specially  manifest  in  the  sub¬ 
stance  of  his  preaching.  Over  every  field  of  thought  which 
he  touches,  he  walks  at  will ;  everything  is  as  clear  as  sunlight ; 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


75 

no  penumbra  troubles  him  with  any  difficulty  of  tracing  the 
exact  boundary  which  separates  the  true  from  the  false.  He 
easily  conveys  to  others  his  own  sense  of  the  depth  and 
richness  of  the  truth,  and  never  toils,  as  so  many,  with  effort 
to  impart  his  feeling  to  his  hearers.  He  preaches  his  high 
Calvinistic  theology  with  consummate  ease  to  himself  and  his 
hearers — an  ease  as  untroubled  as  if  a  difficulty  on  this  sub¬ 
ject  had  never  presented  itself  to  a  human  being. 

But  behind  all  this  is  his  personality.  This  cannot  be 
analyzed  nor  explained  ;  we  can  see  only  the  manifestations. 
Its  force  is  shown  in  his  voluminous  publications  with  their 
world-wide  circulation,  in  his  Pastors’  College,  in  his 
Orphanage.  What  he  has  accomplished  in  any  one  of  these 
directions  would  be  work  enough  and  fame  enough  for  any 
man.  Its  generous  sympathy,  full  of  pathos  and  humor,  not 
only  prompts  his  great  work,  but,  shown  in  all  relations, 
attaches  thousands  to  him  in  bonds  of  gratitude  and  friend¬ 
ship.  Its  rounded  completeness  is  such  that,  living  in  the 
sunlight  of  publicity  for  a  generation,  no  slander  has  ever 
flitted  across  the  face  of  his  fame.  There  has  been  no  secret 
whisper  of  regret  at  the  lack  of  some  minor  but  very  im¬ 
portant  virtues,  no  apology  with  bated  breath  for  obvious 
shortcomings.  It  is  a  personality  with  boundless  force,  with 
sympathy  unselfish  and  universal,  with  a  symmetry  which 
seems  to  have  no  drawback  and  no  defect. 

As  you  listen  to  Mr.  Spurgeon,  you  are  struck  with  what 
he  does  not  say.  As  you  continue  to  listen,  you  are  more 
impressed  with  this  peculiarity,  until  his  denial  of  self  ap¬ 
pears — one  of  his  most  marked  characteristics.  Observe  I 
do  not  say  self-denial — this  is  not  a  feature  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 
life.  I  do  not  say  self-forgetfulness,  which,  like  self-denial, 
has  often  been  exhibited  in  its  highest  forms  outside  of 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


76 

Christianity,  but  that  denial  of  self,  which  so  eminently 
characterized  our  Lord  Jesus,  and  which  is  the  differentiat¬ 
ing  feature  of  Christianity.  He  is  reading  a  chapter  in  the 
prophecy  of  Isaiah.  His  comments,  which  are  fully  equal 
to  his  sermons  in  richness  and  power,  show  unmistakably 
that  he  knows  a  great  deal  more  about  that  chapter  than  he 
tells.  Any  biblical  student  can  see  that  he  cannot  have 
learned  so  much  without  learning  a  great  deal  more.  Most 
of  us  smaller  men  could  not  restrain  ourselves  from  seduc¬ 
tive  by-paths,  from  giving  at  least  a  glimpse  into  opening 
vistas,  very  attractive  to  us  and  to  some  of  our  hearers.  How 
resolutely  he  resists  the  temptation  !  Why  ?  For  the  same  rea¬ 
son  that  our  Lord  refrained  from  speaking  of  much  in  which 
he  was  intensely  interested,  and  which  would  have  deeply 
interested  his  disciples.  The  reticence  of  Christ  is  as  instruct¬ 
ive  as  his  speech.  In  this  respect  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  sermons 
are  framed  in  the  spirit  of  the  New  Testament.  How  many 
times  when  hearing  him  have  I  admired  that  denial  of  self 
which  kept  him  so  completely  within  the  limits  of  what  was 
most  profitable  for  his  congregation. 

Men  complained  of  his  narrowness ;  but  his  narrowness 
was  the  narrowness  of  Niagara,  the  indispensable  condition 
of  poAver.  Broaden  Niagara  into  a  lake  and  you  have  a 
shoal  instead  of  a  river.  It  was  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  denial  of 
self  that  enabled  him  to  present  with  such  singular  interest 
and  power  truths  with  which  he  had  been  intellectually 
familiar  from  the  beginning  of  his  ministry. 

A  greater  mistake  cannot  be  made  (I  quote  from  the 
“  Church  Times,”  the  organ  of  the  English  High  Church)  than 
that  which  speaks  or  thinks  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  as  an  unedu¬ 
cated  man.  In  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  not  a  scholar.  With  very  rare  exceptions,  no  man  can 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


77 


be  who  makes  the  pulpit  his  vocation.  But  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  a  diligent  student  of  the  Bible  in  its  original  languages. 
He  taught  Latin  and  Greek  before  he  entered  the  pastor¬ 
ate  in  London,  and  those  who  were  intimately  acquainted 
with  him  say  that  his  knowledge  of  all  English  literature 
was  wonderful,  and  that  in  this  respect  no  public  man  in 
England  surpassed  him.  That  he  was  very  widely  read  in 
certain  kinds  of  theological  literature  is  manifest  to  any  one 
who  is  acquainted  with  his  published  works. 

More  than  once  I  have  taken  my  accustomed  seat  in  the 
Tabernacle  with  a  feeling  of  half  regret  that  I  am  losing 
the  brilliant  discourse  of  some  famous  light  of  the  British 
pulpit  advertised  for  the  morning.  Why  did  I  come  here? 
I  shall  hear  nothing  that  I  do  not  already  know ;  the  ser¬ 
mon  at  St.  Paul’s,  or  Westminster  Abbey,  or  wherever,  will 
be  a  brilliant,  thoughtful,  original  discourse,  to  be  remem¬ 
bered  for  a  lifetime.  I  cannot  help  a  sort  of  grudge  at 
this  evident  loss. 

With  the  first  sentence  spoken  by  Air.  Spurgeon,  this 
feeling  vanishes,  to  return  no  more.  At  once  I  am  lifted  to 
a  higher  plane,  and  begin  to  breathe  a  new  and  welcome  at¬ 
mosphere.  I  am  launched  on  the  strong  current  of  the 
preacher’s  spiritual  feeling,  and  am  borne  on  its  tide,  a  will¬ 
ing  voyager.  His  intense  spiritual  earnestness  is  apparent 
in  the  first  sentence  of  the  opening  prayer.  It  is  not  a 
bodily  earnestness,  finding  expression  in  a  boisterous  delivery 
or  muscular  agitation,  not  earnestness  of  voice  or  gesture, — 
observe  how  quietly  his  hands  often  rest  on  the  plain  desk 
before  him, — not  the  earnestness  of  exhortation.  It  is  the 
spiritual  earnestness  of  a  man  in  communion  with  God,  the 
consciousness  of  the  Christian’s  position  and  relation,  that 
joy  of  the  Lord  which  is  our  strength.  If  I  had  gone  to 


78 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


St.  Paul’s,  the  minister  would  have  assumed  that  all  present 
were  afar  from  the  Father’s  house;  his  first  words  would 
have  been,  “I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father;”  and  then 
would  have  come  the  exhortation  to  confession  of  sin.  But 
here,  I  am  in  my  Father’s  house,  I  am  seated  at  his  table, 
all  around  me  the  air  is  stirred  by  the  sweet  music  of  home ; 
and  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  opening  words,  like  those  of  the  Epis¬ 
tles,  are  a  glad  thanksgiving  for  the  position  of  the  wor¬ 
shiper  :  “  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in 
heavenly  places  in  Christ,  and  hath  raised  us  up  together 
and  made  us  sit  together  with  him.”  In  the  grateful  recog¬ 
nition  of  the  believer’s  standing  before  God,  the  worship  at 
the  Tabernacle  begins.  Every  word  is  surcharged  with 
earnestness.  Hymn,  Scripture,  prayer,  are  inspired  with  an 
all-pervading  fervor,  shaping  thought  and  expression. 
Among  other  ways,  it  shows  itself  in  a  chain  of  reasoning 
knit  in  iron  links  and  made  red  hot  by  fervency  of  passion ; 
a  stream  of  compact,  nervous,  glowing  speech,  intensely 
clear  and  well  freighted  with  meaning. 

But  above  all  other  characteristics  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 
preaching  is  its  spirituality.  This  gives  it  its  universal  and 
abiding  power.  He  addresses  himself  to  man,  not  to  men. 
His  sermons  are  remarkably  devoid  of  anything  peculiar  to 
time,  race,  circumstance,  or  condition.  About  his  delivery 
even,  there  is  no  suggestion  of  anything  local  or  provincial. 
He  does  not  talk  in  English  fashion.  He  has  not  the  accent 
or  tone  of  English  pulpits.  Like  the  discourses  of  Christ, 
his  sermons  bear  no  special  relation  to  the  times  in  which 
they  are  preached,  only  as  the  moral  aspects  of  the  times 
affect  man’s  spiritual  recovery.  .  .  .  Christ’s  discourses 

belonged  no  more  to  one  age  than  to  another,  to  no  one  class 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


79 


more  tlian  to  another.  The  first  century  cannot  say,  “  He  is 
mine ;  ”  the  tenth  century  cannot  claim  him,  nor  the  twen¬ 
tieth.  Neither  the  rich  nor  the  poor  can  say,  “  lie  is  ours ;  ” 
he  is  not  an  Asiatic,  he  is  not  a  European.  He  belongs 
alike  to  all  times,  and  to  all  classes,  and  to  all  conditions. 
There  is  nothing  in  his  teachings  which  does  not  bear  direc- 
tion  on  the  purpose  for  which  he  came  into  the  world — to 
save  his  people  from  their  sins.  This  purely  spiritual  char¬ 
acter  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  preaching  makes  his  sermons  as 
profitable  and  welcome  in  Australia  as  in  London,  in  the  log 
cabin  as  in  the  crowded  church.  I  happened,  an  hour  or  so 
ago,  to  glance  at  a  discourse  of  his ;  I  do  not  know  when  it  was 
preached,  hut  every  word  in  it  would  have  been  pertinent 
and  appropriate  two  hundred  years  ago.  If  there  shall  be  a 
twenty-second  century  and  the  sermon  abides,  it  will  be  just 
as  pertinent  then  as  now.  It  is  founded  on  the  permanent 
facts  of  man’s  nature,  and  is  addressed  to  man’s  spir¬ 
itual  condition.  Mr.  Spurgeon  has  outlived  the  contempt 
and  ridicule  with  which  the  newspapers  treated  him 
in  the  earlier  part  of  his  career ;  his  critics  kindly  rec¬ 
ognize  the  surpassing  force  which  has  wrought  so  great 
and  lasting  work  in  his  day  and  generation.  But  they  com¬ 
plain  that  he  is  indifferent  to  many  tendencies  of  life  and 
thought  in  which  intelligent  men  and  women  are  profoundly 
interested,  that  he  has  no  lot  nor  part  in  the  intellectual  and 
religious  movement  of  the  age,  which,  they  say,  is  so  com¬ 
pletely  revolutionizing  the  world.  They  do  not  know  that 
this  very  separation  from  the  earthly  and  temporary  is 
the  hiding  of  his  power.  His  Christianity  does  not  under¬ 
take  to  revolutionize  the  world  by  any  intellectual  or  relig¬ 
ious  movement,  hut  to  save  men  from  the  evil.  It  promises 
no  blessing  to  men  who  do  not  accept  Christ.  Its  one  aim 


80 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


is  to  make  men  partakers  of  the  divine  nature.  The  gospel 
which  Mr.  Spurgeon  preached  was  the  gospel  of  that  Lord 
Jesus  who  gave  himself  for  our  sius  that  he  might  deliver 
us  from  this  present  evil  world.  Sin  personal  and  sin  or¬ 
ganic,  our  sins  and  this  present  evil  world,  arc  the  foes 
which  he  combated,  and  for  victory  over  them  he  was  con¬ 
tinually  striving. 

Explain  it  as  we  may,  the  history  of  all  great  religious 
movements  proves  that  the  way  to  stir  men  to  the  utmost,  to 
effect  in  them  permanent  and  radical  changes,  is  not  to  ad¬ 
dress  their  sense  of  earthly  want,  or  to  care  for  their  earthly 
condition,  but  to  appeal  to  the  great  eternal  verities  of  sin 
and  salvation,  an  appeal  to  which  the  profoundest  depths  of 
their  nature  respond. 

A  minister  goes  into  the  pulpit  and  looks  at  the  congre¬ 
gation  which  is  about  to  listen  to  him  in  silence  for  an  hour. 
How  solemn  the  place !  No  other  gathering  on  earth  is  like 
it  in  variety  of  knowledge  and  condition.  He  cannot  know 
them  all ;  is  it  possible  in  the  common  discourse  to  speak 
profitably  to  all  these  with  their  various  ignorances,  burdens, 
perplexities,  sorrows,  wants,  and  joys?  Oh,  to  speak  some 
word  that  shall  meet  the  wants  of  those  who  are  struggling 
with  temptations,  distressed  with  solicitudes  and  cares,  some 
word  that  shall  guide  the  perplexed,  help  the  discouraged, 
comfort  the  sorrowing — some  word  that  shall  bring  hope  and 
peace  and  joy — some  word  that  shall  be  a  word  in  season 
alike  to  duty  and  conflict !  Is  there  any  way  of  speaking 
so  that  all  these  classes  shall  have  their  appropriate  word, 
that  no  one  of  Christ’s  hungry  sheep  shall  go  away  unfed? 
Spurgeon  seems  to  have  found  it,  in  an  earnestness  begotten 
by  the  joyous  possession  of  the  whole  man  by  Christ ;  in  a 
love  for  others  which  instinctively  avoids  all  that  will  not 


I.TFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


81 


profit,  and  instinctively  chooses  that  which  will  minister  to 
their  highest  edification ;  and  in  a  constant  look,  not  at  the 
seen  and  temporary,  but  at  the  unseen  and  eternal,  always 
proclaiming  spiritual  things,  in  spiritual  words,  to  spiritual 
men. 

The  dominant  and  all-pervading  spirituality  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon’s  convictions  was  the  explanation  of  an  apparent 
change  in  his  later  years  in  his  relations  to  the  sacramental 
party  in  the  Church  of  England.  I  say  apparent  change, 
for  his  position  and  attitude  were  the  same  throughout.  As 
is  well  known,  within  the  last  decade,  the  increasing  preva¬ 
lence  of  the  denial  of  the  supernatural  in  religious  circles 
greatly  troubled  him.  It  did  not  relieve  his  distress  that 
the  term  *  spiritual  ’  was  retained  in  religious  speech.  The 
word  was  shorn  of  its  Scriptural  meaning ;  and  the  difference 
between  secular  and  spiritual  was  denied.  Because  the 
natural  was  sacred  and  divine,  therefore  the  supernatural 
did  not  exist.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  sacramental 
part}’’,  they  believe  in  a  supernatural  Christianity.  Here 
Mr.  Spurgeon  and  they  were  one.  How  to  obtain  super¬ 
natural  grace  was  the  point  on  which  they  separated,  and 
widely  separated.  The  one  said,  It  wTas  by  sacraments;  the 
other,  By  faith  in  Christ.  The  one  said,  The  sacraments,  by 
divine  appointment,  lead  to  Christ ;  the  other,  Christ  is  the 
divinely  appointed  way  to  the  sacraments,  as  he  is  the  way 
to  all  else.  Whatever  obscured  the  place  of  Christ,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  vehemently  opposed ;  and  so  his  fiercest  blows 
were  struck  at  the  doctrine  of  1  nfant  Baptismal  Regeneration 
in  his  well-known  onslaught  on  the  baptismal  service  in  the 
English  Prayer  Book.  But  when  the  question  was  between 
the  supernatural  and  the  anti-supernatural,  his  whole  sym¬ 
pathies  were  with  the  people  who  with  all  their  faults  stood 


82 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


firmly  on  this  foundation  stone.  He  recognized  the  devout 
character,  the  godly  earnestness  of  many  of  the  prominent 
Ritualists.  With  only  two  exceptions,  every  one  of  the  Tract- 
arian  leaders  had  been  brought  up  an  Evangelical ;  they 
carried  the  influence  of  their  early  training  into  their  new 
associations,  and  in  the  midst  of  their  ceremonies  preached 
sermons  which  might,  without  the  alteration  of  a  word, 
have  been  uttered  by  the  most  flaming  revival  preacher. 
Read  the  biographies  of  Pusey,  and  Newman,  and  Manning ; 
where  can  you  find  what  we  call  conversion  more  clearly 
claimed  and  insisted  on  ?  Read  the  sermons  of  Archdeacon 
Manning,  preached  while  he  was  a  clergyman  of  the  Estab¬ 
lished  Church,  and  tell  me  where  can  you  find  clearer 
spiritual  discrimination  than  in  his  discourses  on  the  Tempta¬ 
tion  of  our  Lord?  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  bound  in  strong 
sympathy  with  those  who  were  one  with  him  in  the  great, 
cardinal  fact  of  the  supernatural  character  of  Christianity, 
while  he  differed  from  them  most  widely  in  the  method  of 
attaining  spiritual  grace.  Both  his  agreements  and  differ¬ 
ences  were  candidly  and  forcibly  expressed. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Spurgeon,  the  preacher  ( continued ). 


Prof.  T.  H.  Pattison,  D.  D. 1 


HEN  Dr.  Dale  of  Birmingham  said  that  he  could  no 


*  "  more  tell  why  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  so  great  a  preacher 
than  why  Turner  was  so  great  a  painter,  Napoleon  so  great 
a  general,  or  Pitt  so  great  a  statesman,  he  gave  expression 
to  a  very  general  feeling.  In  fact,  when  Mr.  Spurgeon 
began  to  preach,  his  hearers  under  ordinary  circumstances 
ceased  to  criticise.  So  truly  was  the  preacher  a  messenger 
from  God  with  a  word  for  each  one  who  listened  to  him, 
that  every  real  man  dropped  the  critic  and  listened.  This 
was  in  part  due  to  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  intense  personality.  This 
solid  substantial  man,  with  no  promise  in  his  outward 
appearance  of  spiritual  power,  had  perhaps  more  than  any 
other  man  of  his  generation,  what  Emerson  says  that  our 
earth  waits  for,  “  exalted  manhood.”  No  estimate  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon’s  power  to  move  and  mould  men  will  be  adequate 
unless  it  takes  this  into  account.  I  venture  to  say  that  our 
century  has  produced  no  truer  man. 

When  we  come  to  examine  the  special  qualities  by  which 
he  was  distinguished,  I  think  that  we  shall  find  them  to  be 
the  qualities  which  we  commonly  associate  with  the  English- 

1  As  Mr.  Spurgeon  was,  above  all  else,  the  preacher,  the  author  thinks  himself 
happy  in  being  favored  also  with  a  communication  from  the  accomplished  Pro¬ 
fessor  of  Homiletics  in  Rochester  Theological  Seminary,  who  has  been  for  many 
years  on  terms  of  personal  intimacy  and  friendship  with  him  of  whom  lie  writes 
so  appreciative^  and  so  di'Criminatiugly. 


7 


83 


84 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


man.  Speaking  of  a  lady  who  had  translated  many  of  his 
sermons  into  German,  he  said,  in  his  pleasant  way  :  “  I  shall 
never  be  turned  into  German  myself,  but  she  turns  most 
of  my  books  into  German.”  Underneath  the  jest  lay  a  pro¬ 
found  truth.  Mr.  Spurgeon  could  not  have  been  anything 
but  what  he  was,  the  typical  Englishman,  with  the  excel¬ 
lences  and  the  limitations  of  his  race.  He  had  the  traits 
which  we  associate  with  the  Saxon  character.  Dr.  Parker 
has  remarked  on,  “  the  forms  and  expression  of  the  remark¬ 
able  head  and  face,  the  head  the  very  image  of  stubbornness, 
massive  and  broad,  the  face  large,  rugged,  social,  brightened 
by  eyes  overflowing  with  humor,  and  softened  by  a  most 
gracious  and  sympathetic  smile.” 

The  head  and  face  was  true  to  the  English  nature.  Dutch 
blood  there  may  have  been  in  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  veins,  the 
blood  of  forefathers  who  escaped  to  East  Anglia  from  the 
persecutions  of  the  infamous  Duke  of  Alva ;  but  this  only 
added  kindred  vigor  to  the  truly  English  stock.  He  had, 
for  one  thing,  that  trust  in  the  people  which  from  Alfred 
on  down  to  our  own  time  had  marked  the  Saxon,  the  confi¬ 
dence  in  the  honor  and  honesty,  the  soundness  and  sagacity 
of  the  vox  populi  which  makes  England  at  this  hour  as  truly 
a  democracy  as  any  nation  on  eai’th.  “  The  instincts  of  the 
masses,”  he  said,  “  can  he  much  more  safely  relied  upon  than 
the  caprices  of  the  wealthy  and  tenured  few.” 

John  Bright  might  have  said  this ;  and  the  two  men  had 
much  in  common.  Bright  was,  in  his  speaking,  more  of  the 
artist,  and  studied  far  more  than  Spurgeon  did  the  chime  of 
words  and  the  music  of  sentences.  It  was  Spurgeon  who 
said,  “  I  hate  oratory,”  and  explained  what  he  meant  by 
adding,  “  Fine  language  seems  to  me  wicked  when  souls  are 
perishing.”  But  Bright  and  Spurgeon  alike  relied  mainly 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


85 


as  orators  on  the  simplicity  and  vigor  of  the  English  tongue. 
To  any  one  familiar  with  both  of  these  great  men,  another 
characteristic  which  is  generally  supposed  to  distinguish  the 
Englishman  will  occur  at  once.  I  mean  that  rare  gift,  the 
terror  of  fools  and  the  delight  of  the  wise,  common  sense. 
How  often  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  it  sent  the  shafts  of 
his  wit  straight  home  to  their  mark.  It  was  with  this  that 
he  met  and  silenced  the  clamor  which  was  raised  over  his 
smoking  and  what  he  had  said  about  it.  His  common  sense 
cut  the  Gordion  knot  in  other  and  happier  discussions,  and 
at  a  word  made  an  end  of  all  controversy.  Listen  to  what 
he  says  as  to  the  theatre : 

Our  aim  is  to  raise  men  entirely  above  all  that,  to  ele¬ 
vate  them  to  a  higher  level,  where  they  will  not  feel  the 
want  of  that  kind  of  recreation.  ...  We  have  seen  too 
often  the  trail  of  the  theatre  across  the  Christian  home  to 
have  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  whether  it  is  an  institution 
which  makes  for  righteousness  or  the  reverse.  ...  If  a  man 
should  come  to  me  and  say,  “  Mr.  Spurgeon,  may  I  go  to  the 
theatre  ?  ”  I  should  reply,  “  Do  you  want  to  go  to  the  theatre  ? 
If  so,  you  must  go,  and  take  it  as  an  evidence  that  you  need 
grace  in  your  heart !  ” 

This  sturdy  common  sense  was  a  saving  element  in  the 
stalwart  independence  which  was  another  marked  charac¬ 
teristic  in  Mr.  Spurgeon.  He  was  absolutely  fearless.  No 
one  could  ever  charge  him  with  moral  cowardice.  From 
the  first  he  struck  out  his  own  path,  and  trod  it  confidently. 
Dr.  Clifford  has  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  when  he  got 
rid  of  the  pulpit,  the  change  from  that  to  the  platform  was 
“an  illustration  of  the  freedom  which  he  sent  into  the  min¬ 
istry  of  these  later  times.”  His  first  adventures  in  London, 
his  earliest  actions  and  utterances,  bespake  this  fearless  and 
independent  nature.  He  once  told  me  that  he  prepared 


86 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


for  his  first  Sunday  in  New  Park  Street  by  purchasing  a 
large  colored  pocket  handkerchief,  which  he  flourished 
when  preaching  with  much  effect,  under  the  impression  that 
to  do  so  was  the  fashion  in  London  society.  But  this  was 
perhaps  his  last  attempt  to  propitiate  conventionalism,  and 
it  could  hardly  have  answered  its  purpose.  With  the  dea¬ 
cons  of  the  church  when  after  that  first  Sunday  they  invited 
him  to  preach  again,  he  was  as  independent  as  though  every 
pulpit  in  London  was  eager  for  him.  He  had  a  genuine 
Saxon  hatred  of  all  servility. 

“A  clerical  sycophant,”  says  he  “  is  only  fit  to  be  a  scul¬ 
lion  in  the  devil’s  kitchen.”  We  seem  to  catch  the  times  of 
Bunyan  in  this  plain  spoken  utterance,  and  when  by-and- 
by  a  future  generation  forms  from  the  composite  photo¬ 
graph  the  portrait  of  the  typical  Englishman,  Cromwell, 
Bunyan,  Bright,  and  Spurgeon  will  all  be  pressed  into  the 
service.  For  Cromwell  he  had  a  hearty  admiration.  He 
would  rather,  he  declared  on  one  occasion,  “  have  descended 
from  Cromwell  than  have  the  bluest  blood  in  his  veins.” 
In  common  with  the  great  uncrowned  king  of  England. 
Mr.  Spurgeon  prized  most  highly  loyalty  to  conviction.  As 
Mr.  Archibald  G.  Brown  has  said : 

“God  was  an  awful  reality  to  him!  and  like  Elijah,  he 
stood  before  him.  God  filled  up  the  whole  of  the  horizon. 
Jesus  was  so  absolutely  his  heart’s  Lord  that  tears  came  into 
his  eyes  when  he  spake  of  Christ.  Jesus  Christ  had  fasci¬ 
nated  his  heart.” 

This  made  him  exceedingly  jealous  for  God,  and  for  the 
gospel  of  his  Son.  He  could  not  brook  any  tampering  with 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  saving  truths.  There  is  no  good  evi¬ 
dence  that  he  regretted  for  one  single  moment  his  action  in 
the  Down-Grade  Controversy.  On  the  contrary,  he  avowed 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


87 

that  had  he  not  taken  the  decisive  step  when  he  did,  “  he 
would  have  been  compelled  to  do  so  half  a  dozen  times 
since.”  He  resembled  John  Bright  in  this,  that  sooner  than 
be  false  to  his  dearest  convictions  he  would  be  parted  from 
his  dearest  friends.  Both  men  showed  their  faith  by  their 
works. 

“  I  would  not  give  a  headless  pin,”  Spurgeon  said  once, 
“  for  the  man  who  does  not  belong  to  that  denomination 
which  he  conscientiously  believes  to  be  the  best.”  And 
then  he  added,  with  characteristic  sweetness,  “  But  I  have 
learned  to  love  truth  better  than  any  sect,  and  Christ  more 
than  any  church.” 

For  whilst  he  was  very  firm  in  holding  to  his  convictions, 
and  very  outspoken  in  uttering  them,  his  fine  charity  and  his 
cheery  good  nature  saved  him  from  bitterness.  The  leading 
organ  of  the  Church  of  England  wrote  about  him : 

“  He  was  no  friend  to  the  Church  of  England,  but  be 
was  what  is  perhaps  rarer,  a  straightforward  and  even  gener¬ 
ous  foe.” 

Nor  did  any  one  ever  with  reason  suspect  him  of  self- 
seeking.  He  was  as  pure  in  heart  and  as  clean  of  hand,  as 
Andrew  Marvell,  the  incorruptible  patriot.  Dr.  Maclaren 
said  with  truth : 

His  fervor  of  devotion  and  intensity  of  love  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  blazed  through  all  his  work.  He  was  absolutely 
self-forgetful,  and  thinking  nothing  of  himself,  everything 
of  his  message.  His  pathos  and  his  humor,  his  sagacity 
and  his  kindliness  were  equal.  His  power  of  cheery  work 
was  unexampled,  and  all  that  he  was,  he  gave  to  his  Lord 
with  rare  and  beautiful  simplicity  and  faithfulness. 

Another  prominent  Saxon  trait  in  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  char¬ 
acter  was  his  superiority  to  difficulties.  So  far  from  daunt¬ 
ing,  they  rather  stimulated  him.  He  never  went  to  sleep, 


88 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


as  Emerson  puts  it,  “  on  the  cushion  of  advantage.”  The 
Metropolitan  Tabernacle  was  a  triumph  over  material 
obstacles,  and  the  victory  was  altogether  due  to  him.  He 
set  aside  committees  and  became  a  committee  of  one.  He 
purchased  the  ground  upon  which  the  great  building  was 
planted  with  money  advanced  to  him  personally  under  most 
romantic  circumstances.  He  refused  to  lift  his  voice  in  the 
place  until  every  penny  of  debt  upon  it  had  been  paid.  In 
the  years  of  buoyant  health  and  boundless  vigor,  nothing 
seemed  impossible.  He  as  much  as  Napoleon  struck  “can¬ 
not  ”  out  of  his  vocabulary.  One  can  scarcely  refrain  from 
wishing  that  such  a  man  had  been  on  board  the  Mayflower 
or  seated  in  the  first  Continental  Congress.  The  courage 
and  determination,  the  loyalty  to  conviction  and  singleness 
of  aim,  the  intense  and  yet  thoroughly  wholesome  concen¬ 
tration  of  the  whole  nature  upon  the  thing  which  has  to  be 
brought  to  pass,  which  have  made  Englishmen  what  they 
are  to-day  in  the  world’s  history — all  these  Mr.  Spurgeon  had 
to  a  very  rare  degree. 

His  humor,  too,  was  eminently  Saxon. 

“  You  are  the  best  deacon  that  any  minister  was  ever 
blest  with,”  he  said  to  one  of  his  officers,  “  but  don’t  be 
proud ;  you  are  no  better  than  you  ought  to  be.” 

On  the  last  Sunday  of  his  life  here,  when  his  secretary 
reminded  him  that  the  congregation  at  the  Tabernacle 
would  want  to  hear  how  he  was  getting  on,  his  genial  spirit 
responded,  “  Let  them  find  out.”  One  needs  to  see  the 
twinkle  in  the  kindly  eye,  and  to  catch  the  sweetness  in  the 
kindly  voice,  to  understand  how  innocent  his  jesting  words 
were  of  any  intent  to  wound.  Humor  was  used  by  him  for 
its  true  purpose,  and-  he  never  mistook  it  for  invective, 
When  he  unmasked  sin,  it  was  not  done  with  a  jest.  Sin 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


89 


was  too  serious  a  thing  for  wit  to  play  with.  Yet,  with  him 
as  with  Latimer  and  Bunyan  and  Thomas  Fuller  and  Row¬ 
land  Hill,  humor  was  as  natural  as  sunshine  in  June.  The 
struggle,  no  doubt,  was  to  keep  it  within  bounds.  A 
courtly  minister  was  once  in  his  company,  when  Spurgeon 
charged  his  brethren  in  London  with  treating  him  coldly 
in  his  first  joining  their  number. 

“  Oh,  Mr.  Spurgeon,”  the  gentleman  interposed,  “  I  am 
sure  you  misrepresent  us.  I,  for  one,  have  never  been  other 
than  friendly  to  you.” 

“  Doctor,”  was  the  reply,  “  do  you  remember  charging  me 
in  those  early  days  with  being  so  high  a  Calvinist  that  I 
would  not  invite  sinners  to  believe  and  be  saved?”  The 
courtly  brother  had  quite  forgotten  all  about  the  circum¬ 
stance.  “Yes,  Doctor,”  Spurgeon  said,  turning  his  guns 
full  on  the  foe,  “  and  no  doubt  you  forget  also  what  I  said 
in  reply.  Let  me  remind  you.  I  said  that  so  far  from 
never  inviting  sinners  when  I  was  preaching,  if  you  had 
been  in  the  audience,  I  should  certainly  have  been  especially 
careful  to  do  so.” 

These,  then,  were  some  of  the  characteristics  of  a 
thoroughly  English  nature.  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  strong  pop¬ 
ular  sympathies  and  a  simple  faith  in  the  sagacity  of  the 
one  human  heart ;  lie  was  gifted  with  manly  and  vigorous 
common  sense  ;  he  never  courted  a  smile  or  feared  the  frown 
of  any  man ;  he  remained  to  the  last  loyal  to  his  convic¬ 
tions,  although  the  loyalty  cost  him  not  a  little.  If  he 
was  a  hard  hitter,  he  was  a  most  generous  opponent ;  and 
he  loved  to  preach  up  truth  rather  than  to  preach  down 
error. 

“I  am,”  he  said  to  the  Rev.  Charles  Williams,  “no 
enemy,  no  disputant,  no  caviller.  I  only  want  to  do  the 


90 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


right  thing,  and  if  it  should  seem  to  be  harsh,  I  want  to  do 
it  in  love  and  tenderness.” 

Autocratic  he  was  bound  to  be,  alike  from  temperament 
and  circumstances,  and  he  put  his  policy  in  one  sentence 
when  he  declared : 

“  ‘  Lord,  lead  me  not  into  temptation  ’  means  to  me  ‘  bring 
me  not  into  a  committee.’  ” 

He  was  as  tender  as  he  was  strong.  “A  little  anger,”  he 
said,  “  costs  me  so  much,  and  is  so  apt  to  blaze  into  a  battle 
royal  that  it  is  a  calamity  to  be  aroused,  and  an  event  mem¬ 
orably  mournful.”  That  fine  humor  was  his  which  plays  on 
the  surface  of  vigorous  speech  and  determined  action,  and 
softens  both.  At  heart  he  loved  all  good  men,  and  won 
their  love  in  return.  The  whole  English  nation  had  come 
to  look  on  him,  as  they  had  come  to  look  on  John  Bright, 
with  pride,  as  not  only  in  an  especial  sense  theirs,  but  even 
in  an  especial  sense  them.  It  is  surely  to  be  numbered 
among  the  thousand  good  services  for  which  the  world  is 
indebted  to  the  great  man  who  has  passed  away,  that  he  did 
so  much  to  perpetuate  all  the  finest  qualities  of  the  nation 
which  is  proud  to  call  him  one  of  her  sons. 

The  following  is  from  a  letter  on  “Spurgeon  as  a 
Preacher,”  written  by  Professor  Pattison  in  1884,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  Spurgeon  Jubilee: 

“  Not  one  hearer  in  a  hundred  knows  anything  of  his 
personal  character,  of  the  charm  of  his  nature,  of  his  mar¬ 
velous  power  of  generalship,  of  his  Orphanage  and  College. 
To  the  great  majority  of  those  who  listen  to  him,  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon  is  simply  a  preacher.  As  a  preacher,  therefore,  he 
may,  with  the  utmost  propriety,  be  studied.  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  make  anything  like  an  analysis  of  the  sources  of 
his  power  as  a  speaker.  It  is  easy  to  enumerate  certain 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


91 


prominent  elements  in  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  preaching;  but  no 
such  enumeration  would  give  to  us  the  preacher  himself.  It  is 
one  peculiarity  about  genius  that  it  cannot  be  explained 
scientifically.  Mr.  Spurgeon  has  turned  out  some  hundreds 
of  preachers,  but  among  them  all  there  is  no  second  Spur¬ 
geon.  There  are,  indeed,  only  too  many  Spurgeonettes 
among  the  young  men  in  his  college,  but  the  world  is  not  to 
be  taken  in  by  them.  Such  men  as  Archibald  G.  Brown  and 
W.  Cuff  and  E.  G.  Gange  have  drawn  from  him  noble  and 
life-long  impulses,  but  they  have  never  lost  their  own  indi¬ 
viduality.  You  can  no  more  manufacture  another  Spur¬ 
geon  from  among  his  .students  than  you  can  manufacture 
another  Gladstone  from  among  the  members  of  his  cabinet. 

“  The  preacher  is  born,  not  made.  This  is  most  emphati¬ 
cally  true  of  Mr.  Spurgeon.  He  came,  indeed,  from  a  race 
of  preachers ;  but  he  owed  little  or  nothing  to  them.  He 
was  first  heard  in  London  as  pastor  of  a  church  which  had 
numbered  Gill  and  Rippon  among  its  ministers.  But  when 
he  came  to  it,  the  memory  of  these  great  names  only  mocked 
the  empty  pews  of  the  deserted  chapel.  New  Park  Street 
has,  indeed,  a  pleasant  sound ;  but  the  place  itself  is  un¬ 
savory  and  inaccessible,  surrounded  by  tanneries,  breweries, 
and  low  slums,  and  lies  in  that  inferior  part  of  London 
which  is  popularly  known  as  ‘  the  other  side  of  the  water.’ 
The  neighborhood  seemed  to  be  ‘  a  place  to  bury  strangers 
in,’  to  the  stray  worshiper  who  started  in  quest  of  the  almost 
forgotten  chapel.  Yet  before  the  boy  from  Essex  had  been 
preaching  there  many  months,  the  street  was  alive  with 
people,  and  the  chapel  itself  was  crammed  to  suffocation. 

“  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1855  that  I  first  heard  him.  He 
was  preaching  in  Exeter  Hall,  and  it  was  his  second  Sunday 
there.  ‘Spiritual  liberty’  was  his  theme,  and  there  was,  I 


1)2 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


suspect,  a  good  deal  spoken  in  the  sermon  which  does  not 
appear  in  the  published  report  of  it.  What  certainly  does 
not  appear  is  the  preacher  himself.  He  was  then  a  some¬ 
what  slight  and  rather  active  young  man.  The  first  words 
which  lie  uttered  filled  the  great  hall,  and  hushed  the  vast 
audience,  with  the  charm  of  a  voice,  clear,  sweet,  penetrat¬ 
ing,  but  above  everything,  personal.  He  was  speaking  to 
me.  His  manner,  to  one  accustomed  to  a  somewhat  stately 
ministry,  was  familiar ;  at  times  it  bordered  on  the  irrever¬ 
ent.  His  eloquence  was  more  fervid  and  impetuous  than  it 
became  as  years  passed  on.  But  it  was  also  more  original, 
more  imaginative,  more  inspiring,  ^fuch  has  changed  in 
the  great  preacher  since  then.  He  has  become,  what  he  was 
not  in  those  days,  but  what  he  most  undoubtedly  is  now,  a 
great  man.  But  I  cannot  find  that  his  preaching  has 
changed  in  its  staple.  The  gospel,  with  which  every  ser¬ 
mon  is  charged  to  the  muzzle,  is  the  same,  rich  and  confi¬ 
dent,  and  full  in  substance  and  in  amount.  Then,  as  now, 
although  not  to  so  marked  a  degree  perhaps,  criticism 
was  suspended.  You  do  not  now  ask  yourself  whether  you 
are  pleased,  whether  your  expectations  are  met  or  exceeded. 
The  first  words  of  prayer  are  sufficient  to  brine  all  your 
spiritual  nature  to  the  front.  ‘  This  man,’  you  say  to  your¬ 
self,  as  you  say  also  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Moody,  but  in  the 
case  of  no  third  to  whom  I  have  ever  listened,  ‘  is  the  great 
power  of  God.’  The  unanimity  of  feeling  on  this  point  is 
not  the  least  remarkable  among  the  tributes  to  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon’s  powers.  Secular  journals,  inveterate  professional 
critics,  persons  with  no  pretence  even  of  religiousness, 
are  as  likely  to  be  subdued  and  solemnized  as  the  most 
spiritually  minded.  I  have  met  only  one  man  who  was 
thoroughly  disappointed  in  Mr.  Spurgeon.  He  was  a  sen- 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


93 


sationalist  preacher,  and  his  failure  to  appreciate  was,  in 
itself,  a  compliment.  A  few  months  ago  the  ‘  Temple  Bar 
Magazine  ’  wrote : 

“  ‘  Mr.  Spurgeon  is  among  preachers  as  Mr.  Bright  among 
parliamentary  orators.  All  desire  to  criticise  vanishes, 
every  faculty  is  subdued  into  admiration,  when  he  has  con¬ 
cluded  a  sermon  with  a  burst  of  his  truly  inspired  eloquence, 
leaving  the  whole  of  his  congregation  amazed,  and  the  vast 
majority  of  its  members  anxious  or  hopeful,  but  in  any 
case  roused  as  if  they  had  seen  the  heavens  open.’ 

“  ‘  The  Pall  Mall  Gazette  ’  is  not  a  journal  suspected  of  re¬ 
ligious  enthusiasm ;  but  not  long  since,  in  describing  Mr. 
Spurgeon  as  the  most  popular  author  of  the  day,  it  told  this 
story  with  approval : 

“  ‘  In  many  parts  of  Scotland,  in  particular,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
is  venerated  beyond  other  men.  “  We  English,”  said  a 
Southron,  once,  to  the  old  lady  who  takes  visitors  round  the 
ruins  of  Melrose  Abbey,  “  have  had  many  famous  men,  but 
we  have  had  no  John  Knox.”  “  True,”  said  the  old  dame ; 
“you  have  had  no  John  Knox,  but  then  you  have  Mr. 
Spurgeon!”  From  a  Scotch  Presbyterian,  what  tribute 
could  be  more  extravagant  ?  ’ 

“  Such  testimonies  are  the  best  evidences  that  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon  is  master  of  that  ‘  accent  of  conviction  ’  which  at  once 
impresses  all  who  hear  it  with  confidence  in  the  speaker’s 
sincerity.  He  has  that  rare  quality  which  Clarendon 
ascribes  to  Sir  Thomas  Coventry :  ‘  a  strange  power  of  mak¬ 
ing  himself  believed,  the  only  justifiable  design  of  elo¬ 
quence.’  The  absence  of  many  of  the  lesser  graces  of  the 
orator  is  soon  forgotton.  He  has  not  the  magnificent  pro¬ 
portions  of  Phillips  Brooks.  He  has  not  the  impressive 
head  of  Edward  Irving.  He  is  wanting  in  the  exquisite 


94 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


suppleness  of  George  Whitefield.  A  voice  he  has,  indeed, 
of  which,  since  Whitefield’s  tones  died  away  in  Newbury- 
port,  Massachusetts,  the  like  has  not  been  heard.  He  has 
also  resources  of  gesture  to  which  he  now  very  rarely  ap¬ 
peals,  but  which,  twenty-five  years  ago,  won  for  him  the  en¬ 
thusiastic  praise  of  the  French  critics,  with  Provost  Paradol 
at  their  head. 

“  But  no  one  passing  Mr.  Spurgeon  on  the  street  would 
turn  to  look  twice  at  him,  or  single  him  out  at  once  as  the 
most  remarkable  man  of  his  age.  The  main  characteristic 
of  his  intellectual  nature  seems  to  me  to  be  ability.  He  is 
very  quick  and  ready-witted.  He  sees  through  a  subject  at 
once  or  not  at  all.  His  sermons,  as  homiletical  compositions, 
are  sometimes,  but  not  generally,  very  happy.  The  divisions 
and  sub-divisions  in  which  he  delights  would  be  fatal  to  any 
save  a  strong  swimmer.  He  is  nowhere  so  Puritan  as  here. 
Yet  to  him,  to  Dr.  Maclaren,  to  F.  W.  Robertson,  to  half  a 
dozen  others  of  the  foremost  preachers  of  to-day,  the  old- 
fashioned  practice  of  division  of  theme  is  plainly  essential. 
Herein  lies  one  chief  excellence  of  their  sermons.  They  can 
be  carried  away  easily  by  simple-minded  hearers. 

“  Mr.  Spurgeon  differs  from  some  of  the  most  admired 
preachers  of  the  present  time  in  that  he  is  not  at  all  ‘  sug¬ 
gestive.’  He  gives  the  food  in  well-cut  pieces,  and  leaves 
very  little  for  the  imagination.  Of  course,  to  a  highly  poet¬ 
ical  nature,  this  may  be  a  serious  objection  ;  but,  to  the  vast 
majority,  it  is  a  great  recommendation.  The  most  sugges¬ 
tive  painter  on  record  was  the  man  who,  commissioned  by 
his  patron  to  depict  the  Egyptians  drowned  in  the  Red  Sea, 
covered  his  canvas  with  one  huge,  unrelieved  waste  of 
water.  He  said  that  the  Egyptians  were  all  there,  and 
drowned.  Most  hearers  prefer  substance  to  suggestion.  The 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


95 


exegesis  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  sermons  is  almost  always  sound. 
He  walks  in  the  old  ways,  but  his  mind  is  hospitable  to  new 
ideas  when  they  have  the  recommendation  of  being  also 
true.  His  exposition  of  the  Psalm  is  often  even  superior  to 
his  sermon.  It  is  pithy,  rich,  elevated,  devout ;  hovering  in 
the  mid-region  between  prayer  and  praise. 

“  I  have  spoken  of  the  evident  sincerity  of  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon’s  nature.  This  it  is  which  most  quickly  endears  him 
to  his  hearer.  There  is  no  concealment,  no  hidden  purpose. 
He  has  no  private  axe  to  grind.  Strangers  who  have 
known  him  only  as  a  preacher,  have  put  large  sums  of 
money  into  his  hands  with  the  utmost  confidence.  Pie  is 
the  John  Bright  of  the  pulpit,  in  transparent  honesty. 

“  Other  natural  characteristics  he  has  which  are  invaluable 
to  a  great  speaker.  He  is  hopeful  and  buoyant.  I  have 
seen  him  writhing  in  pain  one  hour,  and  preaching  enthu¬ 
siastically  the  next.  He  holds,  with  Wliitefield,  that  a 
good  spell  of  preaching  is  the  best  plaister.  In  common,  I 
venture  to  say,  with  all  the  first-class  orators  of  all  times 
Mr.  Spurgeon  is  abundant  in  humor. 

“In  his  early  days  he  was  not  wanting  in* a  certain 
charming  impudence.  Offensive  it  never  was,  but  there 
was  a  great  deal  of  it ;  and  it  served  him  in  good  stead  at 
the  start.  ‘Mr.  Spurgeon,  I  believe,’  an  insolent  stranger 
said  to  him,  on  the  street  one  day,  ‘  the  greatest  humbug 
in  the  world.’  ‘I  am  sorry,  sir,’  was  the  retort,  ‘that  I 
cannot  call  you  the  greatest  anything.  Good-morning  !  ’ 

“  His  wit  is  quick  as  a  flash  ;  and  yet  it  is  sheet  lightning, 
not  forked.  It  never  scathes.  Invective  he  has  at  his  bid¬ 
ding,  but  he  uses  it  very  sparsely ;  and  when  he  does  there 
is  no  jesting.  His  earnestness  is  tremendous.  But  his  is 
one  of  those  genuine  natures  which  have  no  need  to  aflect 


96 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


passion.  Like  the  Puritans,  he  has  ever  at  command  the 
sister  fountains  of  laughter  and  of  tears ;  and  rarely  uses 
the  one  when  good  taste  would  prefer  the  other.  Of  late 
years,  his  platform  speeches  have  seemed  to  absorb  much 
of  the  humor  which  in  earlier  days  was  wont  to  overflow 
in  the  pulpit.  His  constant  endurance  under  the  shadow 
of  sickness,  the  pathetic  conviction  that  this  life  may  not 
be  a  long  one,  the  increasing  burthen  of  responsibility,  the 
sense  that  he  must  work  the  work  of  him  who  has  sent  him 
while  it  is  day, — all  these  things  have  intensified  the  ear¬ 
nestness  of  a  nature  naturally  buoyant,  I  had  almost  said 
mercurial.  But  he  has  that  same  rich  joyous  nature  which 
makes  the  whole  world  kin  with  Luther,  Latimer,  and 
Bunyan.  He  is  perfectly  natural  and  unaffected.  Why 
did  not  his  popularity  turn  his  head  long  ago?  Edward 
Irving  had  but  a  tithe  of  it,  and  yet  he  speedily  succumbed. 
Mr.  Spurgeon  is  as  simple  and  humble  as  though  he  were 
still  the  poor  unknown  pastor  at  W aterbeach ;  nay,  I  be¬ 
lieve  he  is  far  more  so.  His  amazing  popularity  has  only 
driven  him  nearer  to  God.  He  has  not  felt  safe  to  trust 
himself  out  of  the  shadow  of  the  cross. 

“  It  would  be  false  to  fact  to  deny  that  his  strong  doctrinal 
convictions  have  had  much  to  do  with  his  safety  from  ship- 
wreck.  They  have  led  him  to  give  all  the  glory  to  God. 
They  have  kept  him  humble  in  the  overwhelming  conscious¬ 
ness  of  personal  nothingness.  They  have  forbidden  his 
thinking  or  speaking  lightly  of  sin.  They  have  fired  him 
with  an  absorbing  delight  in  the  divine  Sovereignty.  They 
have  so  mastered  his  whole  moral  and  intellectual  nature 
that  they  betray  their  presence  in  his  casual  conversation 
quite  as  much  as  in  his  pulpit  utterances.  They  give 
unction  and  fullness  to  his  thoughts,  his  words,  his  very 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


97 


tones.  They  bare  heaven  before  the  fervor  of  his  prayers. 
At  the  Pastors’  College  Annual  Conference,  held  a  few 
weeks  ago,  which  is  mustering  time  for  his  students,  he  put 
forth  even  more  than  his  wonted  vigor,  in  denouncing  the 
strange  paths  into  which  some  of  his  brethren  are  straying, 
and  in  declaring  his  unchanged  loyalty  to  the  old  ways. 

“  Many  prayers  are  rising  at  this  hour  on  his  behalf.  Per¬ 
haps  most  of  them  will  bear  as  their  burthen  the  jdea  that 
fifty  more  such  years  may  be  granted  to  the  greatest 
preacher  of  the  century.  For  myself,  I  would  rather  pray 
that,  be  it  longer  or  shorter,  that  ministry,  so  dear  to  mul¬ 
titudes  the  whole  world  over,  may  not  outlive,  by  one  sin¬ 
gle  moment,  its  loyalty  to  those  doctrines  which  are  in¬ 
finitely  more  precious  to  the  preacher’s  heart  than  even  life 
itself.” 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  PREACHER  AND  THE  CONGREGATION. 

E.  G.  ROBINSON,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.1 

WHEN  in  London  during  1867,  I  was  several  times  a 
worshiper  at  the  Tabernacle.  I  was  also  present  at 
a  meeting  of  the  Conference  of  Baptist  ministers,  which,  if 
I  remember  rightly,  was  held  in  one  of  the  halls  on  the 
ground  floor  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  there  first  met  Mr. 
Spurgeon.  Sitting  next  him  at  table,  we  conversed  on  a 
variety  of  topics,  and  among  others  about  his  College  for 
the  training  of  ministers ;  but  in.  reply  to  all  my  inquiries 
about  its  methods  and  courses  of  study,  he  referred  me  to 
his  brother,  who,  he  said,  knew  much  more  about  its  work 
than  he  did.  His  brief  and  off-hand  after-dinner  speech 
interested  and  impressed  me  more  than  any  sermon  that  I 
heard  from  him.  In  it  he  alluded  to  a  picture  he  had  a 
short  time  before  seen  in  the  Louvre  at  Paris,  in  which  a 
saint  was  represented  as  absorbed  in  prayer,  and  behind  a 
screen  the  angels  were  engaged  in  cooking  the  saint’s 
dinner.  Spurgeon  reminded  his  brethren  that,  if  devoutly 
faithful  to  their  calling,  the  angels  of  God  would  never  fail 
to  provide  for  them. 

The  sermons  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  for  some  reason  not 
Avholly  clear  to  myself,  did  not  make  so  profound  an 

1  At  the  request  of  the  author,  the  veteran  theologian  and  theological  instructor, 
Who  has  done  so  much  to  raise  the  character  of  our  ministry,  has  favored  the 
readers  of  this  volume  with  a  chapter  giving  his  personal  impressions  of  the 
preacher  and  the  congregation. 

98 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


99 


Impression  on  me  as  I  had  expected.  In  fact,  I  cannot 
now  recall  either  the  text  or  the  subject  of  any  one  of  them. 
I  was  more  impressed  by  the  unflagging  zeal  and  fervor, 
the  elevation  of  spirit  with  which  every  part  of  every  dis¬ 
course  was  delivered,  and  by  his  complete  control  of  the 
attention  of  his  audience  than  by  anything  he  actually  said. 
He  seemed  to  me  absolutely  unconscious  of  any  difference 
between  thoughts  that  were  commonplace  and  thoughts 
that  were  fresh.  If  new  thoughts  suddenly  flashed  on  him 
as  he  proceeded  with  his  discourse,  no  change  of  tone  or  of 
emphasis  or  of  facial  expression,  so  far  as  I  could  discern, 
betrayed  it.  He  was  apparently  so  intent  upon  carrying  con¬ 
viction  to  the  minds  of  his  hearers  that  all  consciousness  of 
self  vanished,  and  he  became  totally  oblivious  of  any  differ¬ 
ence  in  the  weight  of  his  thoughts. 

The  last  sermon  that  I  heard  from  him,  in  December, 
1867,  struck  me  as  being  specially  commonplace  in  thought 
throughout ;  but  it  was  delivered  with  a  spiritual  earnest¬ 
ness,  not  a  merely  intellectual  fervor,  that  carried  all  before 
it.  Two  American  ministers,  a  Lutheran  and  a  Presbyte¬ 
rian,  were  on  the  steamer,  who  had  heard  the  sermon,  one 
of  whom  had  been  congratulated  by  a  member  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon’s  church  on  his  good  fortune  in  having  heard  the 
great  preacher  at  his  very  best.  The  only  thing  I  remem¬ 
ber  of  the  discourse  was  the  remark  that  the  preacher  and 
his  auditors  would  never  be  together  again.  It  had  been 
ascertained  by  actual  statistics  that  an  average  of  one  died 
from  his  congregation  every  week. 

In  saying  all  this,  however,  nothing  is  farther  from  my 
mind  than  the  purpose  to  disparage  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  great¬ 
ness  as  a  preacher,  but  directly  the  contrary.  His  greatest 
merit  was  that  he  could  command  and  hold  the  attention  of 


100 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


every  hearer  within  the  sound  of  his  voice — a  voice  with  a 
heart  behind  it  such  as  only  ona  in  ten  thousand  possesses. 
The  illiterate  and  simple-minded  listened  to  him  with 
unending  pleasure.  He  was  pre-eminently  a  preacher  for 
the  common  people,  and  for  that  very  reason  was  listened 
to  with  closest  attention  by  preachers  of  every  grade  of 
ability  and  attainment,  and  of  every  denomination,  of  whom 
there  was  always  a  goodly  number  in  attendance. 

When  compared  or  contrasted  with  other  great  preachers 
of  his  time,  his  distinctive  characteristics  become  most 
apparent.  Between  him  and  Canon  Liddon,  the  most  dis¬ 
tinguished  preacher  of  the  Anglican  Church,  there  was  no 
resemblance,  but  a  complete  contrast,  alike  in  substance,  in 
form,  and  in  manner.  From  Maclaren,  a  brother  Baptist, 
he  differed  widely,  having  none  of  Maclaren’s  power  of 
subtle  analysis  of  the  thought  in  a  Scripture  text,  and 
being  incapable  of  his  concise  and  sharply  discriminating 
language ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  his  was  a  bolder  and 
more  open  style,  and  he  used  more  generalized  forms  of 
statement.  As  to  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  with  whom  he 
has  been  frequently  compared,  the  points  of  dissimilarity 
between  them  surpass  in  number  the  points  of  resemblance. 
Beecher,  even  in  his  moments  of  highest  elevation,  never 
lost  self-consciousness,  and  was  ever  alert  to  make  a  good 
point.  Spurgeon  lost  himself  in  his  subject,  and  what 
points  he  made  seemed  absolutely  unstudied  and  spon¬ 
taneous.  Beecher’s  sermons  always  smacked  of  his  latest 
reading,  scientific,  historical,  or  critical,  and  were  redolent 
of  the  living  spirit  of  the  day.  Spurgeon’s  sermons  always 
smacked  of  the  Puritan  literature  of  the  seventeenth  cen¬ 
tury,  or  of  Old  Testament  history,  and  set  up  a  standard 
of  Christian  living  which  at  times  seemed  beyond  the  pos- 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON, 


101 


sibility  of  every-day  life.  Between  Spurgeon  and  Phillips 
Brooks,  with  whom  comparison  is  rarely  if  ever  made,  there 
seem  to  me  to  be  more  points  of  resemblance,  notwithstand¬ 
ing  great  dissimilarity,  than  between  him  and  any  other  of 
his  celebrated  contemporaries.  Unlike  in  personal  culture, 
in  doctrinal  views,  in  taste  and  in  manner  of  delivery,  they 
are  singularly  alike  in  quoting  no  authorities  to  give  weight 
to  their  sentiments ;  in  abstaining  from  all  allusion  to  their 
reading ;  in  the  evident  absence  of  self-consciousness  while 
preaching ;  in  the  possession  of  power  to  bring  themselves 
into  personal  relationship  with  each  hearer,  as  bearing  to 
him  an  individual  message,  and  above  all  in  a  sublime, 
unaffected,  but  unmistakable  loyalty  to  Christ. 

I  have  alluded  to  Spurgeon’s  well-known  popularity  with 
the  common  people — his  complete  mastery  over  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  the  unlettered  and  most  illiterate.  Nothing 
in  the  vast  assemblage  worshiping  in  the  Tabernacle  so 
much  interested  me  as  the  devout  and  absorbed  attention 
of  lowly  people.  I  took  occasion  to  observe  it  carefully 
and  under  various  aspects. 

Happening  to  be  in  London  on  a  summer  Sunday  even¬ 
ing,  I  went  to  the  Tabernacle,  getting  tbere  designedly  after 
the  services  had  begun  and  with  the  purpose  of  looking  at 
the  audience  from  its  rear.  I  looked  in  for  a  moment  at  the 
main  entrance  on  the  first  floor,  and  then  at  the  entrance 
on  the  second  floor,  where  from  the  junction  of  the  great 
galleries,  there  was  an  imposing  view  of  the  vast  throng  of 
worshipers  below ;  and  then  climbing  a  much  narrower 
stairway  I  went  up  to  see  what  could  be  found  above.  On 
this  third  landing  were  two  open  doors,  disclosing  two  tri¬ 
angular  rooms,  the  base  of  the  triangle  opening  wide 
towards  the  preacher,  so  that  all  in  the  rooms  could  have 


102 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


full  view  of  him,  and  he  a  full  view  of  them.  Remote  as 
these  rooms  were  from  the  preacher  (they  covered  the 
broad  hallways  of  the  first  two  floors),  every  word  was  dis¬ 
tinctly  audible.  Every  seat  also  was  occupied,  and  appar¬ 
ently  by  young  people  employed  in  some  kind  of  humble 
service.  In  a  narrow  aisle  of  one  of  the  rooms  stood  one 
of  the  most  forlorn  and  wretched-looking  of  human  beings, 
a  man  in  soiled  and  tattered  clothes,  with  uncombed  and 
matted  hair,  with  a  battered  hat  in  his  hand,  unnoticed  and 
unnoticing,  but  listening  as  if  transfixed  and  nailed  to  the 
floor.  It  was  the  most  touching  sight  I  had  ever  seen  in  a 
house  of  worship.  A  more  emphatic  testimony  to  the 
preacher’s  power  could  not  have  been  given. 

On  another  occasion,  being  at  the  Tabernacle  at  an  even¬ 
ing  service,  one  of  the  members  of  the  church  informed  me 
that  at  the  close  of  the  services  the  Lord’s  Supper  would 
be  administered  in  one  of  the  rooms  on  the  ground  floor, 
and  that  if  I  cared  to  partake  of  it,  he  would  be  happy  to 
furnish  me  a  ticket.  His  offer  was  accepted,  but  desiring 
not  to  be  seen  by  Mr.  Spurgeon,  who  I  knew  would  recog¬ 
nize  me,  and  might  invite  me  to  sit  with  him,  I  contrived 
to  enter  the  room  when  the  stream  of  ingoing  people  was 
densest,  and  so  escaping  notice,  dropped  upon  a  bench  where 
the  people  seemed  most  compactly  seated.  It  was  a  bench 
without  a  back,  and  of  course  not  the  most  comfortable  of 
seats.  In  spite  of  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  it  was 
impossible  for  me  not  to  be  reminded  of  a  laundry  on  the 
evening  of  washing  day  when  the  clean  clothes  with  the 
strong  but  not  unpleasant  scent  of  soap,  have  been  gathered 
and  brought  in  fresh  from  the  clothesline.  The  good 
people,  humble  but  cleanly,  had  all  come  to  church  in  their 
newly  washed  summer  clothes.  That  communion  service 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


103 


and  the  upper  gallery  worshipers  had  given  me  a  better 
idea  of  the  kind  and  extent  of  Spurgeon’s  great  work  as  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  than  I  could  have  gained 
in  a  year’s  experience  as  a  mere  hearer  of  his  sermons. 
God  raised  him  up  for  a  great  work,  and  nobly  did  he 
perform  it. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


MR.  SPURGEON  AS  A  FRIEND. 


BY  PROF.  T.  H.  PATTtSON,  D.  D. 1 


NCONSCIOUSLY  Mr.  Spurgeon  drew  his  own  por- 


CJ  trait  when  he  said  :  “  It  is  not  every  preacher  we 

would  care  to  talk  with ;  hut  there  are  some  whom  one 
would  give  a  fortune  to  converse  with  for  an  hour.  I  love 
a  minister  whose  face  invites  me  to  make  him  my  friend 
— a  man  upon  whose  doorstep  you  read  Salve,  Welcome ; 
and  feel  that  there  is  no  need  of  that  Pompeian  warning, 
Cave  Canern,  Beware  of  the  doc/.  Give  me  the  man  around 
whom  the  children  come  like  flies  around  a  honey-pot :  they 
are  first-class  judges  of  a  good  man.”  Certainly  if  ever  the 
man  lived  whose  face  invited  one  to  be  friendly  with  him, 
this  was  he.  The  eye,  its  redeeming  feature,  was  full  of 
kindliness ;  and  his  voice,  which  has  been  criticized  for  its 
lack  of  sympathy  and  pathos  in  public  address,  was  as 
kindly  as  his  glance. 

Even  as  a  child  he  must  have  possessed  this  happy  gift 
of  making  friends.  This  first  enlisted  the  interest  of  the 
Rev.  Richard  Knill,  a  man  of  rare  loveliness  of  character, 
who  called  him  up  at  six  o’clock  in  the  morning  that  he 
might  have  a  ramble  in  the  old-fashioned  garden,  and  talk 
to  the  little  boy  of  the  love  of  Jesus.  “He  knelt  down  in 
the  arbour,”  says  Mr.  Spurgeon  in  his  last  book,  “  Mem- 

1  By  special  request,  Prof.  T.  II.  Pattison,  D.  D.,  has  consented  to  write  on  this 
subject,  one  that  he  is  prepared  to  treat  with  tact  and  judgment. 


104 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


105 


ories  of  Stambourne,”  “  and  prayed  for  me  with  his  arms 
about  my  neck.  He  did  not  seem  content  unless  I  kept 
with  him  in  the  interval  between  the  services.  He  heard 
my  childish  talk  with  patient  love,  and  repaid  it  with  gra¬ 
cious  instruction.”  It  was  not  until  he  had  been  with  the 
child  three  days  that  the  minister,  who  was  visiting  the 
Stambourne  parsonage  as  a  missionary  deputation,  rose  to 
that  famous  prophetic  utterance:  “This  child  will  one 
day  preach  the  gospel,  and  he  will  preach  it  to  great  multi¬ 
tudes.” 

From  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  this  friendliness  of 
heart  impressed  every  one  who  had  any  dealing  with  Mr. 
Spurgeon.  I  have  heard  that  a  grave  delegation  from  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Society  visited  Waterbeach  (having  an 
evening  to  spare  while  in  Cambridge)  and  before  the  meet¬ 
ing  sent  to  request  the  company  of  the  young  pastor  at  the 
village  inn.  His  conversation,  fearless  and  racy  and  at 
that  time  not  by  any  means  so  reverent  as  it  afterward  be¬ 
came,  fascinated  the  deputation,  even  though  it  disturbed 
not  a  little  their  sense  of  decorum  When  the  hour  for  the 
public  service  came,  the  two  visitors  consulted  together  as  to 
what  part  they  could,  with  any  safety,  invite  young  Spur¬ 
geon  to  take.  To  ask  him  to  speak  seemed  perilous,  and 
in  the  end  it  was  determined  that  he  might  be  appointed  to 
pray  without  risking  the  decorum  of  their  service.  A  very 
short  time  after  this  he  was  in  London,  and  thousands  of 
eager  hearers  were  crowding  the  thoroughfares  in  which 
New  Park  Street  Chapel  had  suddenly  sprung  into  fame. 
The  friends  whom  lie  made  during  his  first  visit  to  the 
London  church  he  retained  to  the  close.  There  was  sus¬ 
picion  to  be  allayed,  and  there  was  stiffness  to  be  broken 
down,  but  half  an  hour  of  his  frank  and  genial  company 


106 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


put  them  all  to  flight  forever.  In  his  happy  moments  of 
complete  relaxation  he  was  irresistible.  Fun  and  pathos, 
and  irony  and  common  sense,  blended  in  a  How  of  conver¬ 
sation  which  had  in  it  not  one  unkind  word  or  uncharitable 
insinuation.  His  genial,  unaffected!  unselfishness  disarmed 
prejudices,  and  made  him  friends  everywhere. 

He  once  mentioned  to  me  that  a  man,  then  recently 
dead,  had  bequeathed  all  his  fortune,  not  a  very  large  sum, 
to  him.  The  money  had  come  to  the  donor  through  his 
marriage  with  a  widow  who  had  left  two  daughters  entirely 
dependent  on  their  stepfather’s  bounty,  and  now  by  this 
bequest  literally  penniless  in  their  advancing  years.  Mr. 
Spurgeon  at  once  investigated  the  case,  and  handed  the  little 
fortune  over  to  them,  rescuing  them  from  the  poorhouse 
and  filling  their  hearts  with  grateful  love  for  him.  “  The 
scoundrel,”  he  said,  with  a  good  deal  of  righteous  indigna¬ 
tion  in  his  tone,  “did  he  think  by  an  act  of  injustice  like 
that  to  scramble  into  heaven  upon  my  shoulders?  No,  in¬ 
deed  ;  I  wasn’t  going  to  help  the  old  rascal  to  any  such  place !” 
Even  in  this  little  story  there  is  much  of  his  characteristic 
bonhomie.  By  means  of  it  he  often  swept  aside  objections 
when  more  serious  arguments  might  have  been  only  so 
much  wasted  breath,  and  undoubtedly  it  was  a  powerful 
element  in  his  character.  A  reporter  on  the  “  Pall  Mall 
Gazette  ”  told  off  many  years  ago  to  interview  him  among 
other  “  Celebrities  at  Home,”  confessed  to  succumbing  be¬ 
fore  the  charm  of  this  easy,  good  humor,  and  having  called 
on  him  in  a  purely  professional  way,  as  he  would  have 
called  on  any  other  subject  for  his  dissecting  knife,  he  left 
him  with  the  conviction  that  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  not  only  a 
great  man,  but  also  a  thoroughly  honest  one,  and  a  most 
delightful  companion.  This  frank  and  often  humorous 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


107 


disposition  needs  to  be  remembered  in  forming  an  estimate 
of  bis  character.  Sayings  of  his  which  seem  brusque  and 
audacious  are  wonderfully  changed  if  full  justice  be  done 
to  the  tone  in  which  they  were  uttered  and  the  laughing 
eye  which  gave  them  so  much  meaning.  In  this  spirit  he 
approached  many  of  the  difficulties  that  threatened  him  on 
his  settlement  at  New  Park  Street,  and  in  this  spirit  also 
he  met  his  deacons  and  other  officials,  and  the  many  quer¬ 
ulous  or  cranky  members  of  his  church,  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry  who  “  wondered  whereunto  this  thing  would  grow,” 
and  a  whole  host  of  critics  and  objectors.  One  after  an¬ 
other  they  all  surrendered,  not  so  much  to  anything  that 
he  said  as  to  what  he  was.  No  one  can  estimate  the  value 
of  it  to  the  young  untried  and  inexperienced  preacher, 
raised  at  once  from  the  obscurity  of  a  Cambridgeshire  vil¬ 
lage  to  the  fierce  light  which  beats  in  London  on  the  lion 
of  the  hour. 

I  remember  the  Rev.  Charles  Vince,  of  Birmingham, 
remarking  in  my  hearing  that  no  man  had  ever  leaped 
into  such  popularity  in  London,  unless  it  might  be  Edward 
Irving,  and  Irving  broke  down  under  it.  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
however,  did  not  break  down.  Possibly  his  first  exper¬ 
iences  at  New  Park  Street  made  him  cling  to  the  friends 
that  he  there  made  with  a  peculiar  fondness.  What  is 
certain  is  that  to  the  last  they  remained  very  close  to  him, 
and  especially  near  to  his  heart.  I  wrote  to  him,  on  one 
occasion,  at  the  request  of  the  church  of  which  I  was  then 
the  minister,  in  Newcastle  on  Tyne,  asking  him  to  preach 
for  us.  It  was,  1  think,  my  first  personal  communication 
with  him,  and  it  gave  me  an  insight  into  his  nature,  the 
impression  of  which  has  never  been  effaced.  In  reply  he 
explained  at  some  length,  in  an  autograph  letter,  why  he 


108 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


could  not  conic,  'because  one  of  bis  most  intimate  friends 
was  at  the  time  the  pastor  of  a  sister  church.  “As  you 
know,”  he  wrote,  “  Mr.  Carr  is  in  a  very  special  sense  my 
friend,  and  I  have  in  my  heart  voted  him  a  monopoly  of 
my  aid  until  the  interest  under  his  care  is  consolidated. 
‘Not  that  I  love  Ccesar  less,  but  that  I  love  Rome  more.’  .  .  . 
I  should  be  grieved  if  you  thought  that  I  felt  the  remotest 
shade  of  unfriendliness  or  want  of  will  to  serve  you  ;  and 
I  do  not  fear  that  you  will  think  the  less  of  me  for  my 
desire  to  serve,  in  the  first  place,  a  long  known  and  much 
valued  friend,  who  in  years  past  laid  me  under  obligations 
which  I  feel  all  the  more  because  he  is  scarcely  aware  of 
them.  If  Mr.  Carr  himself  gives  me  over  to  you — well ; 
but  I  am  in  this  case  not  my  own.”  I  heard  at  the 
time  that  the  reference  in  this  letter  was  to  the  dreadful 
accident  at  Surrey  Music  Hall,  on  the  first  Sunday  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon’s  preaching  there,  an  accident  which  shook  his 
nerves  and  shattered  his  self-confidence  so  seriously  that  for 
some  weeks  he  was  incapable  of  any  work,  and  for  many 
years — probably  to  the  very  end  of  his  life — was  disabled 
by  it.  Mr.  Carr  had  been  with  him  through  this  severe 
trial,  when  slander  and  abuse  were  heaped  upon  a  heart 
already  wrung  by  the  disaster  itself,  and  he  never  forgot 
his  friend’s  good  offices.  On  leaving  Newcastle,  Mr.  Carr 
returned  to  business  and  to  the  Tabernacle,  and  served  as 
one  of  its  most  valued  officers  until  his  death. 

While  so  loyal  to  his  intimate  friends,  clinging  to  them 
with  an  affection  almost  womanly,  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  not 
less  remarkable,  I  think,  for  his  Christian  courtesy  to  those 
who  were  comparative  strangers.  Busy  as  he  always  was, 
living  every  day  as  he  did  by  the  clock,  he  yet  found  time 
to  visit  those  whose  circumstances  specially  called  for  his 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


109 


sympathy.  A  Presbyterian  minister  in  this  country  told  me 
some  years  ago,  that  when  he  was  detained  in  London  by  the 
illness  of  his  wife — an  illness  which  proved  in  the  end  to 
be  fatal — he  {presented  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon,  expecting  only  a  casual  word  or  two  in  return.  In¬ 
stead  of  this,  on  hearing  of  his  burden  of  solicitude,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  took  him  at  once  into  the  circle  of  his  personal 
friends,  treated  him  as  though  he  had  a  claim  on  his  time 
and  attention,  and  visited  the  dying  lady,  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land,  as  though  he  had  been  her  own  pastor.  To  a 
very  rare  degree  he  possessed  the  enviable  art  of  granting 
a  favor  as  though  he  were  rather  himself  asking  for  one. 
“All  I  feel  I  can  say,”  he  wrote  to  me  once  as  to  preaching  in 
Lancashire,  “  is,  that  if  I  am  alive,  well,  in  England,  and 
otherwise  able,  I  will  do  as  you  wish,  and  thank  you  for 
the  opportunity.” 

To  many  readers  of  these  words  they  may  serve  to  re¬ 
call  brief  interviews  which  occasional  hearers  enjoyed  with 
Mr.  Spurgeon  at  the  close  of  his  services.  A  few  words 
only  would  be  spoken,  and  yet  the  impression  conveyed  was 
that  each  one  of  these  numerous  visitors  was  far  more 
necessary  to  the  great-hearted  preacher  than  lie  himself 
was  to  the  whole  of  them.  At  the  close  of  a  communion 
service  at  the  Tabernacle,  I  recall  the  delight  with  which, 
after  begging  me  to  remain  until  the  throng  had  passed 
out,  he  recounted  how  many  States  in  the  Union  had  been 
represented  in  his  congregation  that  morning ;  and  I  who 
had  been  present  at  the  various  interviews  was  amazed  at 
the  felicity  with  which  he  greeted  each  new-comer,  entering 
at  once  into  their  circumstances,  and  speaking  to  each  one 
as  though  he  was  an  old  friend.  A  heart  of  rare  tender¬ 
ness  and  sweetness,  a  mind  quick  to  catch  and  ready  to  use 


110 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


every  fresh  situation,  a  memory  more  retentive  perhaps 
than  that  of  any  other  prominent  man,  with  the  possible 
exception  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  all  these  bathed  in  the 
glory  of  a  consecrated  nature ; — who  wonders  that  Mr. 
Spurgeon  made  such  a  deep  impression  on  those  whom  he 
met  casually  in  his  busy  ministry  ?  Another  rare  trait  in 
his  character  was  his  appreciation,  often  I  fear  exaggerated, 
of  any  favors  done  to  him.  More  prayers  rose  in  his  be¬ 
half  all  the  year  round  than  for  any  other  man  of  his 
time,  and  he  seemed  eager  to  add  to  their  number.  “  Think 
of  me,”  he  would  plead,  “  when  you  have  the  King’s  ear.” 
I  have  often  been  surprised  to  learn  how  gratefnl  he  was 
for  each  such  remembrance.  I  suppose  the  sun  never  set, 
for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  on  the  petitions  which 
rose  to  heaven  on  his  behalf,  and  he  prized  each  one,  and 
often  referred  to  comparatively  obscure  people  who  were 
in  the  habit  of  praying  for  him.  The  nearer  he  got  to  the 
Throne  of  Grace,  the  more  numerous  he  found  his  friends 
to  be. 

Nor  was  he  less  mindful  of  other  assistance  that  he 
received  from  his  acquaintances.  On  almost  the  first 
occasion  of  my  meeting  him,  he  came  up  to  thank  me  for 
certain  references  which  I  had  made  to  him  in  the  public 
prints,  and  which  I  had  entirely  forgotten.  Not  so  he.  It 
was  not  love  of  praise,  I  am  sure,  or  the  vanity  which 
sometimes  blemishes  the  finest  natures,  but  it  was  rather 
the  longing  for  friendship  and  the  appreciation  of  every 
manifestation  of  it.  He  could  not  be  happy  if  even  a  dog 
or  a  horse  turned  from  him.  He  loved  the  breath  of  life, 
and,  intensely  human  himself,  he  deemed  nothing  that 
related  to  humanity  foreign  to  his  feelings. 

His  readiness  to  oblige  others  was  very  marked.  Some 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Ill 


time  since,  in  writing  to  him  at  the  close  of  the  year,  I 
requested  from  him  a  New  Year’s  text,  which  might  serve 
as  a  motto  for  a  large  class  of  young  men  in  the  twelve 
months  to  come.  He  responded  at  once  : 

“  Dear  Friend  :  It  gives  me  unfeigned  pleasure  to 
hear  from  you  in  the  papers,  and  far  more  to  have  a  line 
from  your  own  hand.  God  bless  and  prosper  you  evermore. 

“  I  have  had  a  long  month  of  great  pain,  and  I  fear  I 
have  not  gained  so  much  from  its  discipline  as  I  ought  to 
have  done  ;  still  I  can  set  to  my  seal  that  God  is  true.  Here 
is  a  New  Year’s  text — ‘They  that  trust  in  the  Lord  shall 
be  as  Mount  Zion,  which  cannot  be  removed,  but  standeth 
forever.’  Psalm  125  :  1.” 

I  am  not  attempting  here  any  analysis  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 
friendship.  It  is  enough  to  call  attention  to  some  of  its 
leading  characteristics,  and  to  illustrate  them  by  these  slight 
personal  reminiscences  which  will,  I  believe,  be  all  the  more 
worthy  of  general  note  from  the  fact  that  such  friendly 
acts  and  ways  to  one  who  had  no  sort  of  claim  upon  him, 
must  have  been  samples  of  innumerable  others  of  the  same 
kind.  The  wonder  is  that,  Avith  the  pressure  of  business 
that  had  to  be  attended  to,  Mr.  Spurgeon  e\rer  found  time 
to  endear  himself  to  his  friends  and  acquaintances  by  these 
purely  personal  courtesies. 

I  heard  it  said  once  by  a  shrewd  observer  that  Mr. 
Spurgeon  failed  to  impress  those  Avho  met  him  Avith  his 
greatness,  and  that  in  this  respect  he  differed  from  such  a 
man,  for  example,  as  Robert  Hall.  In  answer  it  might  be 
sufficient  to  say  that  the  close  friends  of  Robert  Hall  never 
thought  Avhcther  he  Avas  a  great  man  or  not.  The  humble 
shoemaker  Avhom  he  chose  for  his  Sunday  guest  for  many 


112 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


years  because  of  his  deep  piety,  did  not  interest  himself 
with  the  fact  that  he  was  at  the  table  of  the  greatest  pulpit 
orator  of  all  the  centuries,  or  that  the  most  brilliant  meta¬ 
physician  of  his  years  at  college  was  his  host.  He  loved 
him  too  much  to  humble  himself  with  thoughts  which 
could  only,  if  cherished,  part  him  from  the  pastor  of  his 
choice.  And  Robert  Hall,  in  common  with  Charles  Spur¬ 
geon,  had  a  hearty  horror  of  every  kind  of  assumption, 
and  particularly  of  that  which  some  ministers  affect. 

“  There  are  some  companies,”  said  the  lecturer  to  his 
students  at  the  Pastors’  College,  “  into  which  you  will  go, 
especially  when  you  are  first  settled,  where  everybody  will 
be  invited  because  the  new  minister  is  to  be  there.  Such 
a  position  reminds  me  of  the  choicest  statuary  in  the 
Vatican.  A  little  room  is  screened  off,  a  curtain  is  drawn, 
and  lo  !  before  you  stands  the  great  Apollo  !  If  it  be  your 
trying  lot  to  be  the  Apollo  of  the  little  party,  put  an  end 
to  this  nonsense.  If  I  were  the  Apollo,  I  should  like  to 
step  right  off' the  pedestal  and  shake  hands  all  around,  and 
you  had  better  do  the  same ;  for  sooner  or  later  the  fuss 
they  make  about  you  will  come  to  an  end,  and  the  wisest 
course  is  to  end  it  yourself.  Hero-worship  is  a  kind  of 
idolatry  and  must  not  be  encouraged.” 

I  have  referred  to  the  favorable  impression  which  his 
simple  and  unaffected  goodness,  his  cheeriness  and  geniality, 
made  upon  a  London  reporter.  He  had  very  sincere 
horror  of  what  he  called  “that  dreadful  ministerial  starch.” 
I  may  be  pardoned  for  quoting  what  he  himself  has  said 
on  this  subject,  both  because  he  has  said  it  better  than  any 
one  else  can,  and  also  because  it  goes  a  long  way  in 
accounting  for  the  almost  passionate  affection  which  the 
people  at  large  felt  for  him : 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


113 


“I  am  persuaded  that  one  reason  why  our  workingmen 
so  universally  keep  clear  of  ministers  is  because  they  abhor 
their  artificial  and  unmanly  ways.  If  they  saw  us,  in  the 
pulpit  and  out  of  it,  acting  like  real  men,  and  speaking 
naturally,  like  honest  men,  they  would  come  around  us. 
Baxter’s  remark  still  holds  good  :  ‘  The  want  of  a  familiar 
tone  and  expression  is  a  great  fault  in  most  of  our  deliver¬ 
ies,  and  that  which  we  should  be  very  careful  to  amend.’ 
The  vice  of  the  ministry  is  that  ministers  will  parsonificate 
the  gospel.  Everybody  can  see  through  affectations,  and 
people  are  not  likely  to  be  taken  in  by  them.  Fling  away 
your  stilts,  brethren,  and  walk  on  your  feet ;  doff’  your 
ecclesiasticism,  and  array  yourselves  in  truth.” 

I  have  alluded  to  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  memory.  He  had,  to 
a  Very  uncommon  extent,  that  faculty  for  recollecting 
names  and  faces  which  is  so  much  coveted  by  all  public 
men.  A  former  member  of  his  church,  who  had  not  been 
in  the  Tabernacle  until  then,  for  some  years,  told  me  that 
he  had  worshiped  there  the  Sunday  before.  Unwilling  to 
disturb  Mr.  Spurgeon  after  the  morning  service,  and  know¬ 
ing  how  many  persons  were  waiting  to  see  him,  he  left 
the  church  without  speaking  to  him ;  but  in  the  evening 
he  remained  to  shake  hands  with  his  old  pastor,  and  was 
met  at  once  by  a  friendly  rebuke : 

“  I  saw  you  this  morning  in  the  congregation,  and  waited 
for  you  to  come  and  see  me.  Why  didn’t  yon  come?” 

One  familiar  face  had  not  escaped  him  among  the  five 
thousand  present  on  that  day. 

There  is  a  general  impression  that,  especially  during  his 
later  years,  Mr.  Spurgeon  paid  no  pastoral  calls  ;  and  I 
heard  him  once  mourning  his  inability  to  be  as  much  as  he 
wished  with  his  people.  But  in  the  case  of  the  sick  and 


114 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


the  dying,  lie  felt  the  necessity  for  his  presence.  He 
needed  it  himself.  How  much  of  the  tenderness  of  his 
mellowed  maturity  he  owed  to  ministrations  in  the  sick 
room  of  Mrs.  Spurgeon  we  need  not  say ;  but  in  their 
measure  other  visits  of  a  similar  character  were  of  immeas¬ 
urable  service  to  him.  A  friend  who  was  much  in  his  con¬ 
fidence  says : 

“  But  the  chief  secret  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  power  was  faith 
in  the  living  God,  and  in  the  power  of  his  gospel.  He 
had  as  real  a  belief  in  the  gospel  as  a  merchant  has  in  his 
money.  On  his  last  visit  to  Mr.  Duncan  in  Scotland,  I 
accompanied  Mr.  Spurgeon  to  London.  He  was  very 
weary,  but  he  roused  himself  up,  and  said  cheerily,  ‘After 
my  service  last  night,  I  went  to  see  two  of  my  people.  The 
wife  was  dying  of  consumption,  the  husband  after  an 
attack  of  typhoid  fever.  They  had  neither  doubt  nor  fear, 
and  were  awaiting  death  as  happily  as  if  it  were  their  wed¬ 
ding.’  With  a  tear  in  his  voice,  he  added,  ‘  It  makes  me 
preach  like  a  lion  when  I  see  my  people  die  like  that.’  ” 

Among  the  last  letters  which  I  received  from  Mr. 
Spurgeon  was  a  postal  card,  and  I  need  not  hesitate,  I 
think,  to  print  it,  notwithstanding  its  personal  allusions, 
for  better  than  anything  that  I  could  say  it  illustrates  the 
loving  nature  which  made  him  so  many  friends ;  and, 
besides,  it  would  be  hard  to  find,  I  believe,  in  all  the  liter¬ 
ature  of  letter  writing,  a  brief  note  in  which  genuine 
kindliness  of  heart  found  expression  in  happier  words. 

“Dear  Friend:  The  best  of  years  be  unto  you. 
Your  card  was  very  sweet.  I  am  very  ill,  weary  and  low  ; 
but  yet  I  am  in  such  tender  hands  that  I  am  by  no  means 
unhappy.  Let  him  do  as  seemeth  him  good. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


115 


“  I  am  indeed  favored  with  the  kind  opinions  of  my 
brethren.  I  pray  to  be  more  worthy  of  the  honor  of  their 
love. 

“  I  am  glad  of  the  love  of  yourself  and  your  father,  who 
seems  to  be  growing  out  on  his  western  side — all  good 
things  go  this  way.  It  will  be  no  ill  day  for  me  when  I 
go  in  a  fuller  sense  to  the  land  of  the  setting  sun. 

“  Yours  ever  most  heartily, 

“  C.  H.  Spurgeon.” 

Those  who  are  tempted  to  complain  that  with  postal 
cards  the  age  and  art  of  letter  writing  have  passed  away, 
may  find  reason  to  modify  their  judgment  after  reading 
this  exquisite  specimen  of  compact  correspondence.  All 
that  I  have  aimed  at  in  this  chapter  has  been  to  give  some 
few  illustrations  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  friendship  to  one  who 
had  no  reason  to  believe  himself  more  than  one  of  a 
thousand.  If  each  one  who  received  like  tokens  of  his 
courtesy  and  his  consideration,  his  unselfish  attention  and 
his  bright  and  winsome  goodness  should  throw  his  stone, 
after  the  old  Highland  fashion,  upon  his  grave,  the  cairn 
that  would  rise  would  speak  more  eloquently  than  any 
human  language  the  honors  of  the  rare  and  beautiful 
spirit  that  has  passed  away. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


SPURGEON  AS  A  MAN. 


THOMAS  ARMITAGE,  D.  D.1 


HEN  God  raises  up  a  servant  for  a  special  work,  he 


'  *  endows  him  with  an  original  constitution,  and  gives 
his  character  a  set  of  elements  which  are  indispensable  to 
the  right  execution  of  that  work.  He  would  not  be 
adapted  to  it  if  he  possessed  another  set  of  attributes,  or 
if  his  faculties  were  modified  one  to  the  other  on  another 
plane.  A  great  writer  has  expressed  the  idea  when  he 
says,  that  unless  a  man  “  Be  born  a  poet,  he  will  never 
attain  the  genuine  spirit  of  poetry.”  Wellington  could 
not  have  been  a  painter  nor  a  sculptor.  He  had  not  the 
creative  ideality,  the  glowing  imagination  to  handle  the 
pencil,  or  the  chisel.  Napoleon  never  could  have  been  a 
philanthropist,  a  moral  reformer,  nor  a  merchant  prince. 
On  the  same  grounds,  Spurgeon’s  natural  predilections, 
habits  and  tastes,  exactly  fitted  him  to  be  the  one  great 
preacher  of  London.  With  his  common  sense,  his  methodi¬ 
cal  life,  his  quick-sightedness,  his  firmness,  endurance, 
courage,  activity,  and  enterprise,  he  might  have  made  a 
respectable  merchant,  an  able  statesman,  a  forceful  lawyer, 
or  a  good  warrior.  He  possessed  much  of  the.  material  for 
success  in  these  lines,  but  God  cut  him  out  of  the  solid 
rock  to  fill  another  niche  among  men,  and  his  qualifica- 

1  Dr.  Armitage,  as  one  whose  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Spurgeon  extended 
through  almost  the  whole  of  the  latter's  residence  in  London  was  requested  to 
furnish  the  interesting  chapter  which  follows. 


116 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEOX. 


117 


'lions  from  God  shaped  him  alone  for  his  pre-eminence. 
During  the  last  half  century,  he  has  shed  no  light  on  the 
laws  and  political  government  of  his  native  country,  as 
have  Cavour,  Bismark,  and  Gladstone  ;  he  has  given  no 
scientific  contribution  to  the  structure  of  his  mother  tongue, 
as  has  Max  Muller  ;  he  has  given  the  world  no  geographical 
explorations,  as  have  Livingstone  and  Stanley.  His  work  lay 
in  none  of  these  directions.  He  was  formed  for  a  preacher 
and  born  a  preacher ;  he  has  done  a  special  work  at  a  special 
time  and  under  a  special  set  of  circumstances,  so  that  he 
stands  unique  in  Christian  history.  London  had  a  more 
perfect  pulpit  orator  in  George  Whitefield,  a  more  finished 
rhetorician  in  Henry  Melville,  a  more  complete  exegete  in 
Dean  Trench,  a  stronger  logician  in  Thomas  Binney,  a 
keener  metaphysician  in  Howard  Hinton,  and  a  more 
finished  thinker  in  Canon  Liddon.  But  all  of  them  together 
failed  to  move  its  millions,  as  did  Spurgeon’s  message  from 
God,  in  the  pulpit. 

These  records,  therefore,  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  work,  will 
be  of  very  slight  value  to  the  reader  unless  he  has  per¬ 
ception  enough  to  enter  into  the  heart  of  his  inner  life  and 
read  his  vital  equipments  for  his  mission.  These  can  be 
seen  and  felt  by  a  true  spirit,  but  it  is  hard  to  put  them  on 
record.  Only  as  the  story  throws  light  upon  them,  can  lie 
learn  what  manner  of  man  Spurgeon  was,  and  Spurgeon 
the  preacher  can  never  be  understood  until  a  thorough 
study  is  made  of  Spurgeon  the  man. 

Much  of  his  manliness  is  directly  traceable  to  an  ancestry 
marked  by  humility,  earnestness,  confidence,  and  direct¬ 
ness.  Although  he  was  such  a  robust  master  of  honest 
Saxon  speech,  he  was  not  of  Anglo-Saxon  stock,  but 
descended  from  the  Dutch  refugees  who  fled  from  Holland 


118 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


when  the  Duke  of  Alva  was  desolating  the  Netherlands, 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  Part  of  the  family  settled  in 
Norfolk,  and  the  branch  from  which  Charles  sprang,  in 
Essex.  Poor,  lowly,  and  persecuted,  they  inherited  a  noble 
pedigree  in  all  the  higher  qualities  of  purity,  integrity,  and 
fidelity  to  God.  For  a  number  of  generations  the  family 
produced  a  race  of  sturdy  ministers  of  the  Nonconformist 
faith,  who  in  turn  thoroughly  instructed  their  children  in 
the  stern  tenets  of  the  Puritans.  They  were  of  the  Con¬ 
gregational  order,  were  stout  Calvinists,  and  wore  stamped 
with  sincerity  and  truth.  Surrounded  by  these  influences, 
almost  from  infancy,  this  most  notable  member  of  the  house 
evinced  a  remarkable  precocity  in  all  that  related  to  the 
religion  of  Christ.  The  very  atmosphere  which  he  breathed 
was  surcharged  with  the  prime  elements  which  marked  his 
entire  life.  The  books  which  he  read  in  the  family  were 
Fox’s  “Book  of  Martyrs,”  “Robinson  Crusoe,”  Pilgrim’s 
Progress,  and  the  English  Bible.  Fed  on  this  stalwart 
literature,  and  listening  daily  to  the  most  ardent  prayers 
of  all  about  him  for  his  personal  regeneration  under  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  boy  took  the  strongest  type 
of  Christian  character,  and  grew  in  that  direction,  until 
he  found  himself  an  embodied  confessor  of  tlie  sixteenth 
century  transplanted  into  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth. 
He  cherished  the  greatest  hatred  of  all  religious  persecution 
from  his  youth  up,  and  detested  the  memory  of  Bishop 
Bonner  equally  with  that  of  Alva,  and  for  the  same  reason. 
His  mother  and  Aunt  Ann  were  very  saints,  and  when 
they  read  his  determined  will,  his  strong  passions,  and  his 
highly  positive  disposition,  their  concern  increased  for  his 
future,  and  their  prayers  became  the  more  earnest  for  his 
early*conversion  to  Christ. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


119 


In  tlieir  poverty,  his  family  straggled  hard  to  give  him 
as  good  an  education  as  they  could  command,  and  although 
his  educational  advantages  were  not  large,  yet  they  were 
fair,  for  people  in  their  circumstances.  At  Colchester  he 
spent  four  years  at  the  school  of  Mr.  Lewis,  and  acquired 
the  elements  of  Latin,  Greek,  and  French.  Besides  this, 
he  spent  a  year  in  school  at  Maidstone,  and  afterward  be¬ 
came  an  usher  in  respectable  schools  at  Newmarket  and 
Cambridge.  When  he  was  between  fourteen  and  sixteen 
years  of  age,  his  strong  mind  was  terribly  unsettled  concern¬ 
ing  the  divinity  of  Christianity.  He  says  on  this  subject: 

“  There  was  an  evil  hour  in  which  I  slipped  the  anchor 
of  my  faith,  I  cut  the  cable  of  my  belief,  I  no  longer 
moored  myself  hard  by  the  coast  of  Revelation.  I 
allowed  my  vessel  to  drift  before  the  wind,  and  thus  started 
on  the  voyage  of  infidelity.  I  said  to  Reason,  ‘  Be  thou  my 
captain,’  I  said  to  my  own  heart,  ‘  Be  thou  my  rudder,’  and 
I  started  on  my  mad  voyage.” 

Previous  to  this,  he  had  a  hard  struggle  with  antinomian- 
ism,  which  was  very  rife  in  and  around  London,  and  while 
he  was  contending  with  unbelief  on  the  one  hand  and 
hyper-Calvinism  on  the  other,  in  his  fifteenth  year  he  wrote 
to  his  uncle  : 

“  You  have  doubtless  heard  of  me  as  a  top-tree  Antino- 
mian.  I  trust  you  know  enough  of  me  to  disbelieve  it.  It 
is  an  object  of  my  life  to  disprove  the  slander.  I  groan 
daily  under  a  body  of  sin  and  corruption.  Oh,  for  the  time 
when  I  shall  drop  this  flesh  and  be  free  from  sin !  I  be¬ 
come  more  and  more  convinced  that  to  attempt  to  be  saved 
by  a  mixed  covenant  of  works  and  faith  is,  in  the  words 
of  Berridge,  ‘  to  yoke  a  snail  with  an  elephant.’  I  desire 
to  press  forward  for  direction  to  my  Master  in  all  things; 

10 


120 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


but  as  to  trusting  in  my  own  obedience  and  righteousness, 

I  should  be  worse  than  a  fool  and  ten  times  worse  than  a 
madman.” 

Having  passed  through  this  double  battle  for  the  footing 
of  his  faith,  he  felt  the  deepest  possible  compunction  for 
sin,  he  began  a  gospel  search  for  God,  nor  rested  till  he 
found  peace  for  his  soul.  The  early  part  of  his  sixteenth 
year  was  spent  in  deep  humiliation  and  repentance  for  his 
personal  sin  against  God  ;  he  wanted  above  all  things  to 
find  the  w7ay  of  salvation,  and  he  seemed  to  seek  it  in  vain. 
With  him  sin  was  not  a  weakness  to  be  pitied,  an  infirmity 
into  which  he  had  been  betrayed,  a  mere  folly  at  the  most. 
It  was  an  enormity,  a  blow  aimed  at  the  divine  bosom,  an 
attempt  to  dethrone  God,  a  vile  insult  to  his  nature  as  well 
as  his  government,  and  he  felt  all  its  bitterness.  When  he 
had  come  nearly  to  his  wit’s  end,  God  met  him  in  pardon 
at  an  unexpected  time  and  in  an  unlooked-for  place.  In 
Colchester,  where  he  lived,  the  Primitive  Methodists  had  a 
small  chapel,  which  served  as  a  mission  station  in  the 
Ipswich  circuit.  The  Rev.  Robert  Eaglen,  one  of  their 
traveling  preachers,  whom  Spurgeon  describes  to  have 
been  “  as  pale  as  death  and  as  thin  as  a  skeleton,”  preached 
in  this  chapel  on  Sunday,  December  15,  1850.  The  day 
was  bitterly  cold  and  marked  by  a  heavy  snow-storm,  so 
that  young  Spurgeon  could  not  go  to  his  own  place  of 
worship,  but  turned  down  a  by-street  and  entered  this  chapel. 
He  says: 

“  I  was  miserable,  I  could  do  scarcely  anything.  My 
heart  was  broken  to  pieces.  Six  months  did  I  pray, 
prayed  agonizingly  with  all  my  heart,  and  never  had  an 
answer.  I  resolved  that  in  the  town  where  I  lived  I  would 
visit  every  place  of  worship,  in  order  to  find  the  way  of 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


121 


salvation.  I  felt  I  was  willing  to  do  anything  if  God 
would  only  forgive  me.  I  set  off  determined  to  visit  all 
the  chapels,  and  though  I  deeply  venerate  the  men  who 
occupy  those  pulpits  now,  and  did  so  then,  I  am  bound  to 
say,  that  I  never  heard  them  once  fully  preach  the  gospel. 
...  At  last,  one  snowy  day,  I  found  rather  an  obscure 
street  and  turned  down  a  court,  and  there  was  a  little 
chapel.  I  wanted  to  go  somewhere,  but  I  did  not  know 
this  street.  It  was  the  Primitive  Methodists’  chapel.  I 
had  heard  of  this  people  from  many,  and  how  they  sang 
so  loudly  that  they  made  people’s  heads  ache  ;  but  that  did 
not  matter.  I  wanted  to  know  how  I  might  be  saved,  and 
if  they  made  my  head  ache  ever  so  much,  I  did  not  care. 
So  sitting  down,  the  service  went  on,  but  no  minister  came. 
At  last  a  very  thin-looking  man  came  into  the  pulpit.  He 
opened  the  Bible  and  read  these  words :  ‘  Look  unto  me 
and  be  ye  saved,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth.’  Just  setting 
his  eyes  upon  me,  as  if  he  knew  me  all  by  heart,  lie  said : 
‘Young  man,  you  are  in  trouble!’  Well,  I  was,  sure 
enough.  Says  he:  ‘You will  never  get  out  of  it  unless  you 
look  to  Christ.’  Then,  lifting  his  eyes,  he  cried,  as  only  a 
Primitive  Methodist  could  do,  ‘  Look,  look,  look  !  ’  I  saw 
at  once  the  way  of  salvation.  Oh,  how  I  did  leap  fur  joy 
at  that  moment !  I  know  not  what  else  he  said,  I  was  so 
possessed  with  that  one  thought.  ...  I  looked  until  I 
could  almost  have  looked  my  eyes  away,  and  in  heaven  I 
will  look  on  still,  in  my  joy  unspeakable.” 

There  is  a  manly  strength  in  all  this,  mixed  with  every¬ 
thing  which  is  child-like,  not  childish,  but  great  and  grand. 
Right  here,  in  the  same  year,  we  find  that  firm  act  of  con¬ 
viction  which  led  him  to  take  the  step  which  severed  him 
from  the  church  of  his  fathers,  and  associated  him  with 


122 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


the  Baptists.  By  investigation  of  the  Scriptures  he  reached 
the  conclusion  that  he  was  under  obligation  to  follow  the 
Saviour  in  immersion.  The  strong  probability  is,  that  as 
the  son  of  a  Pedobaptist  minister  of  note,  he  had  been 
christened  in  his  infancy,  but  if  so,  he  repudiated  that  act 
as  defective  obedience  in  the  light  of  the  gospel.  He  saw 
that  everything  in  modern  church  life  is  framed  on  the 
scale  of  capacity  possessed  by  the  adult  mind,  and  addressed 
to  the  consciences  and  understanding  of  believers,  and  hence, 
he  said,  “  I  must  follow  convictions  in  baptism.  If  any 
ask, Why  was  I  thus  baptized  ?  I  answer,  because  I  believed 
it  to  be  an  ordinance  of  Christ,  very  specially  joined  by 
him  with  faith  in  his  name.’  ‘  He  that  believeth  and  is 
baptized  shall  be  saved.’  I  had  no  superstitious  idea  that 
faith  would  save  me,  for  I  was  saved.  I  did  not  seek  to  have 
sin  washed  away  by  water,  for  I  believed  that  my  sins  were  for¬ 
given  me,  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  Yet  I  regarded  baptism 
as  the  token  to  the  believer  of  cleansing,  the  emblem  of  his 
burial  with  his  Lord,  and  the  outward  avowal  of  his  new 
birth.  I  did  not  trust  in  it;  but  because  I  trusted  in  Jesus 
as  my  Saviour,  I  felt  bound  to  obey  him  as  my  Lord,  and 
follow  the  example  which  he  set  us  in  his  own  baptism.” 

He  was  living  at  Newmarket  at  this  time,  and  there  was 
no  Baptist  church  within  seven  miles  of  him.  There  was  one 
at  Isleham,  and  he  walked  to  that  place,  and  was  publiclv 
immersed  in  the  river  Lark,  by  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Cantlow, 
the  pastor  of  Pound  Lane  Chapel,  on  May  3,  1851.  The 
date  of  his  conversion  as  here  given  is  taken  from  Mr. 
Eaglen’s  diary,  which  shows  that  he  preached  the  sermon 
from  Isaiah  45  :  22,  in  the  chapel  at  Colchester,  on  December 
15,  1850,  and  the  date  of  Spurgeon’s  baptism  is  taken  from 
the  church  record  at  Isleham. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


123 


What  we  denominate  true  manliness,  in  its  highest  order, 
carries  with  it  the  fitting,  the  strong,  the  courageous,  the 
dignified,  and  the  enduring.  With  all  these  attributes 
Spurgeon  was  abundantly  invested,  and  this  endowment 
swept  away  from  him  uniformly  the  weak,  the  craven,  the 
pitiful,  and  the  sneaking.  Manhood  is  to  character  what 
an  immense  foundation  is  to  a  splendid  structure.  From 
boyhood  there  fell  upon  him  high  and  holy  trusts,  and  God 
had  given  him  an  enlarged  nature  to  bear  them  in  a  befit¬ 
ting  manner,  nay,  with  ease,  as  became  the  highest  style  of 
man.  Every  step  which  he  took  in  his  conversion,  his 
baptism,  his  induction  into  the  Christian  pastorship  at 
Waterbeach,  and  finally,  in  his  settlement  over  the  New 
Park  Street  Church,  London,  was  free  from  the  small,  the 
whining,  and  the  whimpering — it  was  worthy  of  the  majestic 
man  of  Nazareth,  whose  he  was  and  whom  he  served. 
Every  true  preacher  of  righteousness  must  possess  in  him¬ 
self  a  personal  basis  of  mental  and  moral  strength  that  is 
native  and  original,  just  as  every  tree  must  give  its  own 
elements  to  its  fruits  and  each  star  its  own  glory  to  its 
light.  Hence,  how  perfectly  childish  it  is,  if  not  foolish, 
for  any  man  to  ask  where  Spurgeon’s  power  lodged,  much 
less  to  attempt  a  portrait  of  its  character,  location,  and 
scope.  Spurgeoji  himself  could  not  have  answered  that 
absurd  question,  unless  he  had  borrowed  Paul’s  reply : 
“The  power  is  of  God.”  For  all  the  practical  purposes  of 
life,  it  would  evince  as  good  common  sense  to  ask  in  what 
the  power  of  Christ  consists,  as  it  is  to  inquire  where  the 
power  of  any  of  his  great  servants  lies.  Few  men  of  any 
century  have  filled  such  a  sphere  of  influence  as  this  great 
man,  because  few  have  reached  such  a  grade  of  character. 
Let  every  wiseacre  who  speculates  on  Spurgeon’s  power, 


124 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


know  this,  that  when  lie  becomes,  wbat  Spurgeon  was  be  will 
do  what  Spurgeon  did.  First  the  man,  then  his  ministry. 

Many  vain  men  who  would  like  to  shine  in  borrowed 
and  artificial  glory  would  like  to  shine  in  his  light,  but 
there  are  few  men  in  the  world  who  would  be  either  able 
or  willing  to  pay  the  price  at  which  he  bought  the  perfect¬ 
ing  of  his  manhood.  Looking  at  him  only  through  the 
glamour  of  his  pulpit,  they  fail  to  discover  the  deep  waters 
and  fiery  trials  through  which  he  was  led,  and  the  almost 
martyr  spirit  which  he  had  brought  down  from  his  il¬ 
lustrious  sacrificial  ancestry,  without  which  he  must  have 
broken  and  sunk.  From  the  very  beginning  in  his  London 
ministry,  his  life  was  one  continuous  fight  of  afflictions. 
The  church  of  which  he  took  charge  had  been  torn  by  one 
contention  after  another  until  its  glory  had  departed.  True, 
it  had  but  nine  pastors  in  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
years,  but  in  1853  its  future  seemed  hopeless  ;  it  appeared 
to  have  reached  death’s  door.  After  hearing  the  young 
evangelist  from  Waterbeach  several  times,  so  many  looked 
upon  his  preaching  as  questionable  that  the  deacons  only 
ventured  to  invite  him  to  preach  for  the  church  for  six 
months,  while  some  were  stoutly  opposed  to  his  coming  at 
all.  He  consented  to  come  to  them,  however,  for  three 
months,  when  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate.  When  lie 
accepted  the  invitation  to  serve  them  for  three  months,  he 
said  to  them  : 

“  I  respect  the  honesty  and  boldness  of  the  small  minor¬ 
ity,  and  only  wonder  that  the  number  was  not  greater.  I 
pray  God  that  if  he  does  not  see  fit  that  I  should  remain 
with  you,  the  majority  may  be  quite  as  much  the  other  way 
at  the  end  of  six  months,  so  that  I  may  never  divide  you 
into  parties.” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


125 


When  he  accepted  the  call  of  the  church  to  become  its 
pastor,  he  gratefully  acknowledged  their  “  unanimous  in¬ 
vitation,”  and  made  this  touching  appeal  in  his  letter  of 
acceptance  : 

“  I  feel  it  to  be  a  high  honor  to  be  the  pastor  of  a  people 
who  can  mention  glorious  names  as  my  predecessors ;  and 
I  entreat  of  you  to  remember  me  in  prayer,  that  I  may 
realize  the  solemn  responsibility  of  my  trust.  Remember 
my  youth  and  inexperience  (he  was  then  under  twenty)  ; 
pray  that  these  may  not  hinder  my  usefulness.  I  trust, 
also,  that  the  remembrance  of  these  may  lead  you  to  for¬ 
give  the  mistakes  I  may  make,  or  unguarded  words  I  may 
utter.” 

It  is  remarkable  that  when  John  Gill  came  to  this 
church  in  1720,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  there  was 
a  division  in  the  church  about  his  settlement,  yet  he  re¬ 
mained  its  pastor  for  fifty-one  years.  Dr.  Rippon  followed 
Gill,  in  1773,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and,  after 
serving  the  church  for  a  year,  on  trial,  he  remained  with 
it  for  sixty-three  years.  Spurgeon  settled  as  pastor  of  the 
same  body  in  his  twentieth  year  and  filled  his  office  for 
thirty-eight  years ;  and  these  three  •men  all  sprang  from 
obscure  villages — Gill  from  Kettering,  Rippon  from  Tiv¬ 
erton,  and  Spurgeon  from  Kelvedon. 

After  Spurgeon’s  congregations  had  become  so  large 
that  his  meeting  house  in  New  Park  Street  could  not  con¬ 
tain  them,  the  year  1856  found  them  worshiping  in  the 
Royal  Surrey  Gardens,  Music  Hall,  which  held  about  seven 
thousand  people.  The  great  preacher’s  first  illness  sprang 
from  a  panic  which  seized  the  throng  while  he  was  preach¬ 
ing  in  that  hall,  October  19,  1856,  in  which  fourteen  per¬ 
sons  were  trodden  to  death,  and  a  larger  number  seriously 


126 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


hurt.  This  scene,  together  with  the  abuse  of  the  London 
press,  prostrated  him  and  confined  him  to  his  sick  room  for 
a  long  time.  Then  came  his  great  struggle  to  build  the 
new  Tabernacle,  which  was  accomplished,  not  only  against 
great  difficulties,  but  against  much  opposition.  When  he 
became  a  pastor  in  London,  there  were  a  few  earnest  Bap¬ 
tist  churches  in  and  about  the  city,  but  a  majority  of  our 
churches  there  were  perfectly  hyper-Calvinistic,  and  were 
horrified  at  what  they  called  “  duty  faith  ” — that  is,  the  duty 
of  a  sinner  to  believe  on  Christ.  They  supported  a  paper 
called  “  The  Earthen  Vessel,”  and  Spurgeon  was  the  constant 
object  of  its  attacks,  as  a  heretic,  because  he  pressed  the 
duty  of  accepting  Christ  upon  all  men.  Hence,  for  years 
he  was  in  constant  battle  with  these  iron-clad  brethren. 
Besides  this,  the  Tractarian  Movement  was  at  its  height, 
and  because  he  combatted  the  abominable  doctrine  of  bap¬ 
tismal  regeneration  with  all  his  might,  he  became  almost 
the  most  hated  man  in  his  native  land.  His  sermon  on 
that  subject,  published  in  1864,  commanded  a  sale  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  thousand  copies.  Two  years 
later  he  entered  the  lists  against  Puseyism,  when  he  pub¬ 
lished  his  great  discourse  called  “  The  Ax  at  the  Root^.  A 
Testimony  against  Puseyite  Idolatry.”  Its  circulation  was 
very  great,  and  the  stern  controversy  ensued  which  led  him 
to  withdraw  from  the  “  Evangelical  Alliance.”  Another 
sermon  preached  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  to  twenty  thousand 
people,  on  the  “  Mutiny  in  India,”  stirred  the  entire  Eng¬ 
lish  nation,  and  still  another  on  “  India’s  Ills  and  England’s 
Sorrows  ”  awakened  the  wildest  indignation,  because  of  its 
rebuke  of  public  wrongs.  More  than  one  hundred  thou¬ 
sand  copies  of  each  of  these  were  sold.  He  grappled  firmly 
with  his  times. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


127 


No  matter  in  what  light  we  view  his  mental  and  moral 
character,  Mr.  Spurgeon  always  appears  as  a  well-balanced 
and  unique  whole.  In  all  his  habitudes  there  was  a  strong 
and  uniform  individuality  of  lineaments  which  made  him 
complete,  lacking  nothing.  Armed  with  a  creative  power 
nearly  approaching  genius,  his  soul  never  failed  in  alertness 
and  vigor.  It  was  capable  of  the  deepest  concentration,  and 
his  originality  flowing  like  a  well  within,  made  all  his 
movements  versatile.  Uniformly,  that  fine  humor  without 
which  no  man  is  complete  diffused  its  light  over  all  the  work¬ 
ings  of  his  mind.  Then,  quite  as  naturally,  there  flowed 
over  his  spirit  an  inborn  spring  of  pensiveness,  which  at  times 
touched  him  with  melancholy.  Acute  in  sensibility  and 
strong  in  passion,  he  rose  above  and  sank  below  par  alterna¬ 
tively,  while  his  self-control  was  seldom  undisturbed.  lie 
was  more  like  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  this  respect,  than  any 
other  man  the  writer  has  ever  met.  Spurgeon  himself  was 
deeply  conscious  of  this  peculiarity  and  turned  it  to  the 
best  account.  Hence,  he  said  :  “  Depression  comes  over  me 
whenever  the  Lord  is  preparing  a  larger  blessing  for  my 
ministry.  Depression  has  now  become  to  me  as  a  prophet 
in  rough  clothing — a  John  the  Baptist  heralding  the  nearer 
coming  of  my  Lord’s  richer  blessing.”  As  far  back  as 
1857,  in  one  of  his  melancholy  moods,  he  turned  to  the 
writer,  when  walking  in  his  garden  at  Nightingale  Lane, 
and  with  tears  streaming  down  his  face  asked:  “Have  I 
gone  up  like  a  rocket  and  shall  I  come  down  like  a  stick  ?  ” 
His  very  popularity  made  him  afraid.  He  says  on  this 
subject:  “My  success  appalled  me.  The  thought  of  the 
career  which  it  seemed  to  open  up,  so  far  from  elating  me, 
cast  me  into  the  lowest  depths,  out  of  which  I  uttered  my 
Miserere,  and  found  no  room  for  a  Gloria  in  Excel  sis.  ’ 


128 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Spurgeon’s  purity  of  motive  made  him  one  of  the  truest 
men  in  the  world,  and  this  was  one  of  his  noblest  traits. 
Not  his  seeming  but  his  reality  struck  his  enemies  dumb. 
The  whole  man  reflected  the  lustre  of  a  pure  heart.  No 
one  questioned  the  noble  faith  which  he  reposed  in  the  word 
of  God,  and  so  no  one  found  occasion  against  him,  except 
as  he  found  it  concerning  the  law  of  his  God.  His  doctrine 
of  inspiration  was  not  a  theory.  Such  a  thought  with  him 
would  have  weakened  its  divine  authority.  Practically,  he 
knew  nothing  of  inspiration  as  an  intellectual  amusement 
or  a  holy  speculation.  He  held  the  Scriptures  to  be  a  mes¬ 
sage  from  God  demanding  obedience  under  the  most  awful 
sanctions.  Amid  all  the  revilings  and  contempt  of  men, 
he  held  his  faith  in  the  verbal  inspiration  of  the  autograph 
manuscripts  of  the  Bible,  with  a  steady  grasp  which  noth¬ 
ing  could  shake,  and  never  mixed  the  philosophy  of  nature 
with  evangelical  teaching.  His  theme  was  the  fullness  and 
freeness  of  salvation,  and  he  laid  his  extensive  plans  for 
saving  men  on  a  divine  scale.  His  illuminated  conscience, 
his  Christian  decision,  his  pure  love  of  genuine  gospel  work, 
and  his  reverence  for  the  Divine  Book,  led  him  to  trust 
none  but  Bible  methods  for  doing  Bible  work.  This  made 
him  a  flame  of  fire,  lifted  him  above  all  stiffness  and  for¬ 
mality  in  his  preaching,  because  it  enlisted  all  his  principles, 
the  joys  and  sorrows  of  his  own  heart,  and  threw  every 
power  of  his  being  into  his  every-day  work,  with  the  most 
resolute  inflexibility.  His  impetuous  spirit  could  bear  no 
control  below  the  sanctifying  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
As  the  word  of  God  dwelt  in  his  own  spirit  richly  and 
molded  his  character  into  holy  living,  he  prescribed  noth¬ 
ing  less  for  the  government  of  other  men’s  souls.  Looking 
upon  sin,  not  as  a  mere  foible,  but  as  “  exceeding  sinful  ” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


120 


and  offensive  to  God,  he  knew  only  of  a  divine  method  for 
its  remission.  Consequently,  Christ  was  to  him  a  “  propi¬ 
tiation  for  sin  ”  in  the  full  sense  of  that  word,  and  the  re¬ 
generation  of  the  soul  of  man  came  only  as  a  result  of  his 
atonement.  As  a  result,  the  contemptuous  rejection  of  that 
provision  left  men  to  perish  eternally.  Future  retribution, 
with  him,  therefore,  was  not  a  speculation,  but  an  eternal 
verity  and  a  fundamental  teaching.  Like  his  Master,  his 
one  aim  in  life  was  to  seek  and  save  the  lost ;  hence  he 
lifted  up  his  Master’s  thorny  and  accursed  cross  as  the  only 
way  of  salvation,  and  never  hung  a  garland  upon  its  head 
to  hide  its  offense  and  heighten  its  glory. 

The  ruling  passion  of  his  life  was  his  love  of  truth.  Once 
fixed  in  the  thought  that  God  and  truth  demanded  this  or 
that  at  his  hand,  he  knew  nothing  of  vacillation.  Ilis 
valor  had  first  decided  what  was  right,  and  after  that  his 
decision  of  purpose  stood  by  his  duty,  no  matter  what 
might  come.  The  immutability  of  Christian  principle 
silenced  all  fickleness.  He  saw  at  a  glance  that  no  true 
and  permanent  end  could  be  secured  without  decision.  He 
planned  wisely,  resolved  firmly  and  executed  inflexibly, 
and  as  a  consequence,  Alps  and  Pyrenees  became  plains 
before  him.  Some  great  work  for  Christ  was  planned; 
then  no  allurement  could  seduce  him,  no  failure  could  dis¬ 
hearten  him,  no  obstruction  could  confound  him.  If  in¬ 
vectives  were  fulminated,  he  felt  it  painfully,  but  it  simply 
fanned  his  fire.  If  storms  were  launched  down  upon  him, 
they  only  soothed  his  misgivings.  If  his  best  friends  fluc¬ 
tuated  in  their  purpose,  their  wavering  only  confirmed  him. 
When  his  foes  would  dupe  him  with  the  cry  that  he  was 
going  too  fast  and  far,  he  only  buckled  his  girdle  the  tighter 
until  he  made  the  ground  tremble  with  his  advancing  step. 


130 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Under  strain  his  whole  inner  nature  might  quiver,  but  he 
did  not  abandon  the  struggle,  for  whatever  God  required 
him  to  do,  there  he  was  a  gigantic  hero.  He  never  stopped 
to  consult  public  opinion,  in  high  and  holy  enterprises,  but 
he  often  resisted  it  when  he  thought  it  wrong.  In  this,  he 
followed  the  noble  genius  of  Christ’s  example,  whether  it 
were  in  response  to  hosannas  and  the  waving  of  palms,  or 
the  mad  demand  from  the  same  lips,  “  Crucify  him  !  ”  He 
was  too  modest  to  plume  himself  upon  the  findings  of  the 
crowd  without  paying  the  drudgery  of  scorn  as  the  price. 
Like  the  New  Testament  children,  he  was  ready  to  serve 
the  multitude  by  spreading  his  garments  for  the  tender¬ 
footed  throng.  Like  the  Apostles,  he  could  give  his  body 
as  a  torch,  to  light  the  rabble  through  dark  streets.  Like 
Latimer  and  Ridley,  he  could  spread  his  ashes  over  the 
cobble-stones  of  Oxford,  that  the  swinish  mob  who  dreaded 
a  rough  road  to  heaven  might  find  a  soft  path  for  their 
hoofs.  He  dared  to  resist  wrong  public  opinion,  to  plant 
himself  like  a  pillar  of  brass  before  its  fulmination,  and 
the  light  of  the  Celestial  City  ever  broke  upon  his  face, 
when  he  was  surrounded  by  the  herd  of  Vanity  Fair. 

Much  has  been  said  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  voice  and  man¬ 
nerisms,  and  superficial  observers,  have  attributed  much 
of  his  power  to  these  accessories.  Before  his  body  was 
broken  by  severe  affliction,  his  personal  presence  was  rather 
attractive  than  otherwise.  He  was  not  tall,  but  stout,  and 
his  frame  well  knit,  his  face  round,  with  small  and  pene¬ 
trating  eyes,  his  moutli  large,  but  not  that  of  the  first-class 
orator.  His  upper  lip  was  arched,  and  both  lips  were 
thick,  but  when  in  repose  they  did  not  cover  his  teeth,  so 
that  in  the  pronunciation  of  certain  words,  the  sharp  ear 
could  discover  a  semi-lisp.  His  hair  was  black  and  very 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


131 


thick.  Early  in  life  lie  wore  no  beard  or  mustache.  The 
whole  expression  of  his  face  was  kindly,  quite  pale,  and 
the  most  genial  smile  played  on  his  features.  Warmth, 
fearlessness,  and  genuine  conviction  spoke  in  his  whole 
countenance.  His  voice  was  full,  round,  and  rich,  not  as 
silvery  as  Dr.  Cone’s,  not  as  pathetic  as  Mr.  Beecher’s, 
but  it  was  held  under  perfect  control,  and  had  more  volume 
than  theirs.  While  it  would  penetrate  any  assembly,  he 
never  shouted,  much  less  screamed,  so  that  every  syllable 
was  uttered  distinctly.  On  one  occasion  he  preached  to  a 
vast  throng  of  street  peddlers,  known  in  London  as  “coster¬ 
mongers,”  but  every  one  in  the  throng  heard  him,  and 
thousands  were  moved  to  tears  ;  and  when  the  crowd  broke 
up,  the  general  cry  amongst  them  was :  “  Vot  a  woice,  vot 
a  woice !  Ah !  vot  a  coster  he  would  make !  ”  Add  to 
this  his  trite  and  homely  English,  linked  with  a  quiet  man¬ 
ner  and  the  absence  of  violent  gesture,  and  we  can  see  how 
his  delivery  added  to  the  force  of  his  preaching.  His 
powers  of  analysis,  his  command  of  imagery,  and  his  ability 
of  description,  clothed  in  this  sententious  style,  made  him 
one  of  the  most  captivating  speakers  imaginable.  Every 
hearer  could  feel  if  he  could  not  see,  his  astonishing  apti¬ 
tude  for  seizing  an  idea  and  his  instinctive  versatility  in 
its  use.  It  is  reported  that  Foote,  the  actor,  said  of  White- 
field,  that  he  could  tell  from  his  sermon  what  was  the  last 
book  that  Whitefield  had  read.  Spurgeon  had  the  same 
impressibility  of  mind,  and  one  whom  he  admired  he 
absorbed.  He  venerated  the  very  names  of  his  predeces¬ 
sors  in  the  pulpit  of  his  church,  and  unconsciously  to  him¬ 
self,  he  drank  in  their  distinguishing  traits  as  preachers. 
He  possessed  the  proverbial  and  metaphorical  style  of  Iveach, 
the  theological  sweep  of  Gill,  the  poetical  and  practical 


11 


132 


LIFE  OF  SPUE  O EOF. 


spirit  of  Rippon,  and  the  pure  ring  of  English  which 
characterizes  Angus ;  so  that  he  embodied  in  himself  the 
whole  history  of  his  own  pulpit. 

But  in  a  high  sense,  all  this  was  but  the  scaffolding  of 
his  ministry.  His  real  power  lay  in  the  supernatural,  so 
far  as  the  writer  can  read  ;  he  considered  himself  simply 
as  an  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ,  sent  to  deal  directly 
with  infinite  truth,  which  he  felt  bound  to  proclaim,  in  the 
absence  of  his  Master  “  in  Christ’s  stead  ;  ”  and  because  he 
was  filling  Christ’s  place,  as  a  preacher,  he  must  preach  as 
Christ  would  have  preached  had  he  been  speaking  in  pro¬ 
per  person.  Only  on  the  ground  of  this  conception  can 
any  thoughtful  mind  account  for  the  boundless  expanse 
which  opened  before  him,  for  the  grandeur  and  vastness  of 
his  power  of  expatiation.  League  after  league  of  truth 
grew  upon  his  sight,  which  he  explored,  in  the  deliberate 
and  copious  language  which  expressed  the  revelations  that 
filled  his  soul,  by  the  most  easy  and  natural  succession. 
The  most  obtuse  listener  felt,  when  he  became  full  and 
animated,  that  he  was  acting  under  the  power  of  the  super¬ 
natural.  His  whole  being  was  pervaded  with  a  fervor,  a 
fusion,  a  quiet  impassioned  unction  from  God.  Reasoning, 
discovery,  and  pathos  flowed  from  his  heart  and  intellect, 
which  indicated  the  deepest  sense  of  the  divine  presence  in 
the  preacher.  Without  losing  his  self-command,  or  his 
directness,  without  art,  or  rhapsody,  or  confusion,  he  threw 
himself  freely  and  boldly  into  a  sea  of  thought  and  feel¬ 
ing,  but  never  drifted  hither  and  thither  for  a  moment. 
He  appeared  to  forget  voice  and  manner,  time  and  place, 
and  in  the  fecundity  of  mind  which  aimed  only  at  one 
object,  drove  home  the  truth  from  God  to  man.  Now  his 
vivacity  plied  a  playful  raillery,  now  a  sublimity  of 


LIFE  OF  SrURGEON. 


133 


thought ;  then  a  caressing  tenderness ;  and  then  again  a 
terrific  denunciation,  an  impassioned  appeal,  or  an  ineffa¬ 
ble  joy,  which  carried  his  hearer  away  with  him.  And  at 
the  close  of  every  sermon,  whatever  it  possessed  or  lacked, 
each  thoughtful  man  said :  “  He  was  a  man  sent  from 
God !  ” 

The  humanity  and  philanthropy  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  open 
the  thought,  that  his  manhood  had  caught  the  disembodied 
spirit  of  John  Howard  and  re-incarnated  its  life.  The 
wretchedness  of  thousands  of  homeless  children  in  London 
so  weighed  on  his  heart,  that  lie  made  an  appeal  for  them 
through  “The  Sword  and  Trowel,”  in  1866,  when  Mrs. 
Hi  1 'yard  sent  him  twenty  thousand  pounds  for  a  beginning. 
His  orphan  houses  have  so  increased  one  after  the  other, 
that  they  now  form  the  homes  of  five  hundred  boys  and 
girls  who  have  no  other  shelter  on  earth.  The  manner  in 
which  this  Christ-like  work  took  its  rise  and  has  been 
nourished,  has  been  fully  presented  in  this  book,  and  all 
that  can  be  added  to  profit  is  to  say,  that  this  splendid 
enterprise  alone  was  worthy  of  the  entire  life  of  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon  or  any  other  man. 

In  estimating  the  manhood,  the  power  and  work  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon,  few  persons  take  into  account  the  molding  and 
strengthening  forces  exerted  by  Mrs.  Susanna  Spurgeon, 
the  “elect  lady  ”  whom  God  gave  him  for  his  wife,  in  1856, 
when  he  was  in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Thompson,  of  Falcon  Square, 
London,  and  a  member  of  Mr.  Fletcher’s  church,  (Congre¬ 
gational)  and  she  has  ever  been  to  him  a  casket  of  jewels, 
his  minister  of  grace,  his  angel  of  mercy.  She  has  been  to 
him,  as  Bishop  Taylor  expresses  it,  “  Not  a  friend,  but  a 
wife.  A  good  woman  is  in  her  soul  the  same  that  a  man 


134 


LIFE  OF  SrUItOEON. 


is,  and  she  is  a  woman  only  in  her  body.”  No  two  souls  on 
earth  from  the  first  fair  dawn  were  more  perfectly  adapted 
to  each  other  than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spurgeon.  He  was  daring, 
she  was  diffident.  He  was  great  in  action,  she  in  suffering. 
He  was  rugged,  brusque,  and  sometimes  bluff.  He  reached 
all  that  is  honorably  defiant  in  man,  she  all  that  is  soft  and 
tender  in  woman.  He  had  elevated  gifts,  she  the  most 
delicate  sensibility.  She  loved  him  with  all  her  heart. 
Nearly  all  their  married  life  she  was  a  sufferer  and  a 
prisoner  in  her  sick  room,  unable  to  throw  herself  publicly 
into  all  his  great  undertakings,  but  she  gave  sweetness  to 
every  pleasure  and  support  in  every  adversity.  Whatever 
storms  he  breasted  outside,  he  always  found  sunshine  and  a 
solace  at  his  own  hearth.  She  had  more  care  to  preserve 
his  health  than  to  recover  her  own.  An  almost  silent  and 
loving  companion,  she  was  the  most  discreet  manager  of 
her  domestic  affairs.  Thoroughly  instructed  and  doubly 
engraced  with  every  noble  and  beautiful  virtue,  she  threw 
an  atmosphere  about  him  so  that  he  breathed  another 
atmosphere  at  home  from  what  he  felt  anywhere  else.  He 
understood  exactly  what  Solomon  meant  when  he  said : 
“  As  the  sun  when  it  ariseth  in  the  high  heaven,  so  is  the 
beauty  of  a  good  wife  in  the  ordering  of  her  house.”  She 
loved  his  literary  employments  and  was  his  skillful  assistant 
therein.  When  he  was  present  Avith  her,  she  was  to  him  as 
a  star  in  the  night,  as  a  dew-drop  illuminating  a  thorn. 
She  bent  over  his  couch  of  sickness  with  the  fondness  of 
a  lover  and  the  firmness  of  a  friend,  displaying  her  courage 
as  a  ministering  angel,  binding  up  his  wounds,  and  pouring 
the  consolation  of  balm  and  oil  into  the  soul  of  the  sufferer, 
while  she  wiped  the  cold  sweat  from  his  brow.  And  when 
he  was  absent  from  her  she  was  ill  at  ease,  for  his  removal 


LIFE  OF  SPUR  G EOF. 


135 


was  to  her  a  keen  pang  and  the  breaking  of  a  prop.  Capa¬ 
ble  of  the  deepest  tenderness,  she  mourned  his  loss  when 
illness  took  him  from  her  side,  and  some  of  the  letters 
which  she  wrote  him  at  those  times  are  among  the  most  pa¬ 
thetic  productions  of  the  English  tongue.  At  those  times 
she  was  not  only  tossed  with  tempest  by  her  own  sufferings, 
but  she  was  without  comfort,  that  she  could  not  be  at  his 
side  to  alleviate  his.  One  day  when  she  was  sorely  de¬ 
pressed,  as  a  dark  and  gloomy  night  drew  on,  she  lay  in 
her  sick  chamber  asking: 

“Why  does  my  Lord  thus  deal  with  his  child?  Why 
does  he  so  often  send  sharp  and  bitter  pain  to  visit  me  ? 
Why  does  he  permit  lingering  weakness  to  hinder  the 
sweet  service  I  long  to  render  to  his  poor  servant  ?  ” 

Suddenly,  she  heard  a  soft,  sweet  sound,  like  the  trill  of 
a  robin  by  the  window.  “  Surely,”  she  said,  “  no  bird  can 
be  singing  at  the  window  at  this  time  of  the  year  and 
night.”  Presently  she  found  the  sound  came  from  an  oak 
log  that  was  burning  on  the  hearth.  Then  she  said  :  “  The 
fire  is  bringing  out  the  imprisoned  music  from  the  inmost 
heart  of  the  old  oak.” 

The  fact  is,  that  Mrs.  Spurgeon’s  aid  and  sympathy  were 
invaluable  in  the  molding  of  her  husband’s  character  and 
life,  so  that  lie  never  could  have  been  what  he  was  without 
her.  His  mind  was  finely  balanced,  so  was  hers.  His 
common  sense  was  large,  hers  was  equally  so.  His  heart 
throbbed  with  love  to  God  and  mankind,  and  hers  glowed 
in  fully  as  warm  a  flame.  He  was  equal  to  the  perfecting 
and  execution  of  every  form  of  benevolence,  and  in  this 
she  was  a  true  yoke-fellow,  at  every  step.  While  at  every 
turn  in  his  public  life  he  was  the  target  for  many  a  rude 
attack,  she,  next  to  God,  was  his  shield  and  helper.  Not- 


LIFE  OF  SPUR  O  FOX. 


136 

withstanding  her  feebleness  of  health,  she  was  the  real 
founder  of  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Society  in  his  church, 
and  of  that  Book  Fund  which  has  circulated  about  two 
hundred  thousand  volumes  of  valuable1  books  amongst  the 
poor  ministers  of  Great  Britain  of  all  sects  who  were 
smitten  with  poverty  and  book  hunger.  Her  ripening  and 
soothing  influences  upon  his  rugged  nature  were  semi- 
angelic.  Having  known  her  since  the  second  year  after 
her  marriage,  the  writer  can  say  intelligently  that  she  is  a 
lady  of  excellent  literary  accomplishments,  deep  piety, 
great  energy,  and  determined  purpose.  Spurgeon’s  history 
will  now  be  an  open  book  for  all  time ;  but  without  a  care¬ 
fully  written  chapter  on  her  influence  upon  his  life,  it  will 
at  the  best  be  but  an  imperfectly  written  portrait  of  him. 
Let  all  his  friends  earnestly  pray  that  a  double  portion  of 
his  spirit  may  rest  upon  her  smitten  home  in  Norwood,  and 
upon  her  two  precious  sons. 

The  great  and  good  man  has  gone,  and  we  all  glorify 
God  in  him.  Unlike  AVhitefield,  his  writings  will  give 
posterity  a  perpetual  standard  of  judgment  concerning  his 
mental  and  moral  character,  better  than  any  biography  of 
him  that  ever  can  be  written.  He  was  a  learned  man,  but 
not  in  the  line  of  scholarship,  and  yet  his  work  eclipsed 
that  of  the  best  scholars  in  Israel.  A  thorough  Baptist, 
he  was  the  world’s  preacher.  A  radical  Calvinist,  he  was 
brought  to  Christ  under  the  preaching  of  as  radical  an 
Arminian.  A  sturdy  Englishman,  he  preached  in  Holland, 
and  Switzerland,  and  Italy,  and  when  his  work  was  done, 
he  ascended  to  his  God  and  our  God  from  French  soil. 

“  He  is  not  dead,  whose  glorious  mind 
Lifts  thine  on  high  : 

To  live  in  hearts  we  leave  behind 
Is  not  to  die.’’ 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  PASTORS  COLLEGE. 


MONG  those  converted  in  the  almost  unceasing  revival 


-A  which  began  from  his  earliest  labors  in  London,  were 
several  young  men  who  were  plainly  called  of  God  to  the 
work  of  preaching  the  gospel.  But  they  were  usually  quite 
uneducated ;  they  were  also  very  poor,  unable  to  go 
through  any  of  the  existing  colleges.  Then,  too,  it  seemed 
to  Mr.  Spurgeon  that  in  the  colleges  the  literary  prevailed 
over  the  spiritual,  and  that  the  Calvinism  was  not  pro¬ 
nounced  and  unmistakable.  He  felt  that  there  was  a  lack. 

Acting  on  his  usual  princple  of  not  waiting  for  great 
things,  but  rather  of  taking  small  things  and  making  them 
great,  he  determined  to  open  a  school  for  these  students. 
As  always,  he  used  his  own  resources  before  taxing  others. 
He  began  with  one  student,  and  one  instructor  (or  tutor, 
to  use  the  term  employed  in  England),  Mr.  George  Rog¬ 
ers.  The  student  recited  in  Mr.  Rogers’  house.  Presently, 
as  the  number  grew,  it  became  needful  to  move  into  one  of 
the  basement  rooms  in  the  Tabernacle.  More  teachers 
were  employed.  All  the  expenses  (including  the  board  and 
lodging  of  the  young  men)  rested  on  the  pastor.  He  was 
able  from  his  own  income,  aided  by  the  wise  care  of  his 
devoted  wife,  to  expend  eight  hundred  pounds  or  more  a 
year.  Then  came  a  lessening  of  his  income,  the  sale  of  his 
sermons  having  fallen  off  in  the  Southern  States  of  America., 
owing  to  his  denunciation  of  slavery.  At  this  time  of  ex¬ 
tremity  and  prayer  and  faith,  he  received  notice  from  a 


137 


138 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


banking  house  that  two  hundred  pounds  had  been  lodged 
with  them  for  him,  to  be  used  for  the  education  of  young 
men.  Soon  one  hundred  pounds  more  came  from  the  same 
source.  Then  one  of  the  deacons  provided  an  annual  din¬ 
ner  at  which  large  amounts  were  subscribed. 

Presently  there  was  evident  need  of  a  building ;  and  the 
money  came.  But  first  the  land  must  be  secured,  and  it 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Commissioners,  who 
never  sell  land.  To  suppose  that  they  would  either  sell  or 
rent  land  for  a  Baptist  College  was  as  if  one  had  asked 
Pope  Pius  IX.  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  Father  Gav- 
azzi.  But  Mr.  Spurgeon  lived  in  an  atmosphere  of  the  un¬ 
precedented.  He  wrote  to  the  Commissioners.  They  at 
once  directed  their  secretary  to  call  on  Mr.  Spurgeon  and 
to  say  to  him  : 

“You  know  that  we  have  never  sold  any  land,  but  we 
will  do  for  you  what  we  do  for  no  one  else ;  we  will  sell 
you  the  land.” 

In  this  connection,  it  may  be  added,  to  the  honor  of  the 
Commissioners,  that  later,  when  he  wanted  to  buy  the 
land  lying  behind  the  Tabernacle,  to  avoid  the  danger  that 
hereafter  high  buildings  would  be  put  up,  shutting  out  the 
light  from  the  Tabernacle,  the  answer  was  the  same.  Truly, 
when  a  man’s  ways  please  the  Lord,  he  maketh  even  the 
Ecclesiastical  Commissioners  to  be  his  friends. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  did  not  gain  this  kindness  and  considera¬ 
tion  by  any  suppression  of  his  opinions.  It  was  partly  the 
recognition  which  could  not  be  denied  to  his  character, 
and  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  he  was  a  power  not  to  be 
ignored. 

Sometimes  this  consideration  was  si  1  own  in  an  amusing 
way.  One  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  used 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


139 


every  year  to  send  Mr.  Spurgeon  a  loin  of  pork,  saying : 
“  I  read  one  of  your  sermons  every  day  in  the  year,  and  I 
send  you  my  tithe.  True,  you  are  not  of  the  Aaronic  priest¬ 
hood,  but  you  belong  to  the  order  of  Mclchizedek,  to  whom 
Abraham  gave  a  tithe.” 

But  not  everybody  took  the  same  view.  Mr.  Spurgeon 
saw  that  there  was  need  of  a  chapel  at  Beckingham,  near 
Croydon.  Nearly  all  the  land  belonged  to  a  wealthy  man, 
a  devoted  churchman.  When  Mr.  Spurgeon  wrote,  asking 
him  to  sell  a  lot,  he  replied,  in  substance : 

“  If  Mr.  Bradlaugh  wished  to  put  up  a  house  for  preach¬ 
ing  his  views,  you  would  not  sell  to  him.  Now,  I  regard  the 
Dissenters  as  heretics  and  schismatics,  and  I  cannot,  in 
conscience,  sell  you  a  lot.” 

Mr.  Spurgeon  wrote  him,  in  substance : 

“  Dear  Sir : — I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  have  a  con¬ 
science,  but  I  am  sorry  it  is  not  a  better  one.” 

The  college  building  was  completed,  at  a  cost  of  fifteen 
thousand  pounds,  and  opened,  free  of  debt,  in  accordance 
with  the  sturdy  honesty  of  the  founder.  The  course  in¬ 
cludes  the  common  English  branches,  and  especially  the 
Bible.  The  object  is,  above  all  else,  to  fit  the  young  men 
to  preach  the  gospel,  to  make  them  devout  preachers,  script¬ 
ural  preachers,  sound  doctrinal  preachers,  attractive 
preachers,  who  can  gather  and  hold  a  congregation. 

While  there  have  been  other  able  teachers,  yet  the  great 
feature  in  the  college  has  been  Mr.  Spurgeon,  his  lectures, 
his  expositions,  his  example,  his  inspiration,  his  kindness, 
his  encouragement.  It  was  properly  named,  “The  Pastors’ 
College.”  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he  was  the  college. 
And  he  loved  the  college,  regarding  it  as  the  eldest  born 
of  his  heart  and  brain.  He  cherished  the  students  as  his 


140 


.  LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 

younger  brethren,  following  them  after  they  went  to  their 
fields,  joying  in  their  successes,  mourning  over  their  trials, 
grieving  over  the  failures  which  sometimes  came  to  them. 

One  of  his  most  widely  known  and  successful  students  is 
Rev.  Archibald  G.  Brown,  who,  as  pastor  of  the  East 


The  Pastors*  College  Page  141. 


London  Tabernacle,  has  done  a  work  second  to  that  of  him 
whom  lie  loved  to  call  “  Master,”  hut  second  to  hardly  any 
other.  On  the  Sunday  after  the  sad  January  31,  Mr. 
Brown,  in  his  sermon,  told,  amidst  deep  emotion,  the  story 
of  his  relations  with  Mr.  Spurgeon.  He  told  that,  at  the 
age  of  thirteen,  he  went  with  his  father  to  hear  the  young 


LIFE  OF  SPUE  GEO JY. 


141 


preacher  at  Surrey  Music  Hall,  that  he  shook  hands  with 
the  great  man,  that  he  was  converted  and  baptized,  and 
that  later,  when  he  went  to  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  study  to  talk 
with  him  about  entering  the  Pastors’  College,  as  he  en¬ 
tered  the  pastor  said  : 

“  Why,  young  Brown,  I  have  been  looking  for  you.” 

“  From  that  moment,  1  Kings  19:21  became  my  experi¬ 
ence,  for  there  we  read  of  Elisha  that  he  left  all  and  fol¬ 
lowed  Elijah,  and  ministered  to  him.”  . 

Another  of  his  students  who  loved  him  no  less,  and  who 
has  by  his  labors  attested  the  value  of  the  training  re¬ 
ceived  at  the  College,  is  Rev.  William  Cuff,  pastor  of 
Shoreditch  Tabernacle.  At  the  Jubilee  of  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
June  19,  1884,  Mr.  Cuff  wrote: 

As  founder  and  President  of  the  Pastors’  College,  Mr. 
Spurgeon  is  unique.  His  influence  over  every  man  who 
enters  is  past  finding  out.  It  is  a  kind  of  magic  spell  that 
Avins  their  life-long  love,  as  well  as  their  unbounded  confi¬ 
dence.  It  is  touching  to  hear  the  older  men  talk  of  him, 
after  twenty-five  years’  intimate  knowledge  of  the  man 
himself,  and  all  his  ways  and  works.  Love  begets  love ; 
and  it  is  everywhere  and  always  abundantly  manifest  that 
Mr.  Spurgeon  loves  the  college  men.  He  made  the  college 
his  darling  life  work  ;  he  pets,  and  fondles,  and  feeds  it  as 
a  wise  and  careful  mother  does  her  family.  The  flame  of 
love  burns  on  through  all  the  years,  never  waning,  never 
tired.  It  is  a  fine,  strong  spell,  which  binds  every  man  of 
us  close  to  him.  If  all  the  world  should  scout  him  to¬ 
morrow,  the  men  who  have  been  trained  in  the  college, 
like  a  strong,  compact  battalion,  would  surely  stand  by 
him,  and  fight  his  battle  with  fiery  enthusiasm. 

As  the  years  roll  on,  our  love  for  the  President  increases, 
and  knows  no  bounds.  We  are  no  longer  raw  students, 
fresh  from  every  imaginable  trade  and  occupation,  includ¬ 
ing  handling  the  plough  and  the  scythe,  as  well  as  filling 
every  position  in  big  firms  in  the  city  or  town.  We  are 
now  men,  well  disciplined,  and  seasoned  in  all  kinds  of  pas- 


142 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


toral  and  public  life.  But  the  college  is  dearer  than  ever, 
and  the  honored  President  is  our  fond  ideal  of  a  preacher, 
pastor,  and  patron  saint.  I  write  thus  strongly,  for  I  see 
the  faces  and  feel  the  touch  of  more  than  six  hundred 
brothers,  who  would,  to  a  man,  subscribe  to  my  utterance 
with  a  loud  Amen  ! 

Mr.  Spurgeon  is  now  (1884)  fifty  years  old,  and,  despite 
his  often  infirmities,  is  as  fresh,  young,  and  humorous  as 
ever,  when  strung  to  the  right  key.  As  I  listened  to  this 
year’s  annual  address  to  the  Conference,  I  said,  “  Well, 
notwithstanding  the  pain,  weariness,  and  work  of  all  these 
years,  your  brain  and  tongue  are  as  vigorous  as  ever.”  It 
was,  indeed,  a  marvelous  deliverance.  Its  effect  on  the  six 
hundred  men  beggars  all  description.  It  was  brimful  of 
passion  and  pathos,  pleading  and  reasoning.  Love  and 
logic  were  on  fire,  at  the  tip  of  his  tongue,  which  flung  it 
out  on  us  in  burning  words,  well  chosen,  and  strung  to  the 
music  of  his  many-toned  and  marvelous  voice.  We  wept 
and  laughed  by  turns.  For  a  whole  hour  and  a  half  did 
he  talk ;  and  for  that  time  we  all  thrilled,  and  throbbed, 
and  burned  with  emotion  and  enthusiasm,  till  prayer  to 
God  gave  the  best  expression  to  our  pent-up  feelings. 

As  creeds  are  so  much  decried  in  our  day,  a  word  about 
the  docrine  taught  in  the  college  may  not  be  out  of  place. 
Everybody  knows  that  Mr.  Spurgeon  holds  the  old-fash¬ 
ioned  Calvinistic  doctrine.  We  should  therefore  naturally 
expect  this  doctrine  to  be  taught  to  the  young  men.  It  is, 
and  that  most  definitely. 

The  first  men  in  the  College  and  the  last  out  of  it  stand 
firmly  by  the  Puritan  theology,  and  not  what  is  called 
“  New  theology.”  Of  course,  there  is,  here  and  there,  an 
exception,  but  such  are  very  few,  and  soon,  not  being 
with  us,  they  go  out  from  us,  and  find  more  congenial 
society  for  tall  talk  about  “the  advance  of  modern 
thought,”  and  “  the  decay  of  dogmatic  teaching.” 

It  is  often  said,  “  Spurgeon’s  men  are  the  most  clannish 
lot  of  fellows  in  the  world.  They  swear  by  one  another, 
and  help  each  other  always  and  everywhere.”  Quite  true. 
We  do.  We  always  have.  We  still  mean  to.  Our  An¬ 
nual  Conference  is  a  great  factor  of  this  feeling  of  clanish- 
ness  and  brotherhood.  The  President  is  brother  and  friend 
to  us  all.  We  catch  that  spirit  and  feeling,  and  are  pledged 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


143 


to  one  another  by  a  thousand  strong  ties  and  precious 
memories,  which  spring  from  and  centre  in  the  President. 
Our  Conference  was  formed  mainly  to  foster  and  feed  this 
feeling  of  oneness  and  brotherhood.  The  first  Conference 
of  the  President,  Vice-Presidents,  Tutors,  aud  present  and 
former  students,  was  held  March,  1865.  One  has  been  held 
every  year  since.  I  am  proud  to  say  I  have  been  present 
at  them  all  but  one,  and  I  know  well  their  power  sftid  bless¬ 
ing  to  all  the  men.  They  come  up  to  the  Conference  from 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  land.  Some  of  them  are 
martyrs  to  their  position,  serving  Christ  in  poverty  and  ob¬ 
scurity  and  loneliness.  They  are  heroes  of  the  cross,  brave 
and  loyal  unto  Christ.  They  come  up  to  greet  their  com¬ 
rades  from  every  part  of  the  well-fought  held  ;  and  the 
greetings  are  wonderful.  I  have  seen  tears  on  many  a 
manly  face,  as  hands  have  gripped  once  more,  and  words 
of  loving  cheer  have  been  again  uttered.  Our  Conference 
is  a  real,  live  thing,  and  goes  to  keep  us  all  one,  wherever 
we  may  settle. 

The  constitution  of  the  Conference  is  simple.  Its  main 
features  may  be  summed  up  into  an  agreement  upon  three 
things :  First,  upon  the  doctrines  of  grace ;  secondly,  upon 
believers’  baptism ;  thirdly,  upon  earnest  endeavors  to  win 
souls  to  Christ.  The  annual  meeting  keeps  these  things 
ever  before  us.  The  sitting  of  the  Conference  lasts  a  week, 
so  that  we  have  time  to  consider  all  subjects  touching  our 
connections  and  life  work.  Every  Conference  has  seemed 
better  than  the  preceding,  till,  this  year,  we  all  did  agree 
to  say,  “  Well,  this  caps  all.  It  has  been  the  best” 

At  first,  the  College  was  looked  down  upon  by  many,  who 
knew  it  would  be  a  failure.  As  the  men  settled  over  the 
churches,  they  were  called  “ignorant  and  rough.”  Cer¬ 
tainly,  we  were  not  like  the  old  type  of  white-tie  and 
broad-cloth,  with  cut-and-dried  essay  in  the  pulpit.  But, 
whether  we  were  “  ignorant  and  rough,”  or  not,  we  now 
leave  our  work  and  positions  to  say:  Our  men  are  now 
pastors  over  many  of  our  largest  and  best  churches,  from 
liev.  E.  G.  Gauge,  of  Broadmead,  Bristol,  downwards. 

When  it  has  been  said  to  me,  “  Your  men  copy  Mr. 
Spurgeon  so,”  I  have  always  said,  and  say  now,  “  Find  us 
a  better  model.”  Undoubtedly,  we  have  caught  his  manner 
of  doing  things  as  well  as  bis  spirit;  I  am  not  ashamed  to 

12 


144 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON-. 


say  that  I  have  most  carefully  studied  him  in  every  thing, 
and  I  bless  the  Lord  I  know  him  and  all  his  methods  so 
well. 

I  will  close  my  remarks  on  a  subject  I  love  so  well,  with 
a  few  words  from  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  own  pen  about  the  Col¬ 
lege.  They  were  written  years  ago,  but  are  as  true  now  as 
then :  _  '*• 

“  As  to  our  object  in  conducting  the  College,  we  rejoice 
that  we  have  been  successful,  beyond  our  hopes.  Our  first 
aim  has  been  to  educate  men  of  native  talent,  with  good 
speaking  powers,  who  believed  themselves  to  be  called  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  We  persistently  refuse  men  who 
are  recommended  to  us  as  persons  of  character  and  studious 
habits,  who,  nevertheless,  have  not  actually  tried  their 
powers  of  speech.  W e  must  have  speakers ;  we  can  give  a 
man  education,  but  it  would  be  useless  to  profess  to  bestow 
oratorical  powers.  We  expect  the  men  to  have  had  two  or 
three  years’  preaching  at  least,  and  to  have  had  evidences 
of  usefulness  following  their  labors ;  then  our  object  is  to 
remove  the  rudeness  of  ignorance,  and  supply  the  knowl¬ 
edge  in  which  they  are  deficient.  Scholarship  we  do  not 
despise  nor  neglect,  but  our  main  object  is  to  educate  the 
practical,  rather  than  the  learned  man.  We  want,  by 
God’s  help,  in  the  first  place,  to  send  out  good  preachers, 
good  pastors,  good  evangelists ;  and,  secondarily,  good 
scholars — good  scholars,  however,  only  with  the  view  of 
their  being  efficient  preachers.  We  think  that  God  uses 
every  variety  of  talent,  but  that  the  shrewd,  common-sense, 
rough-and-ready  brother,  when  anointed  with  holy  zeal, 
be  he  learned  or  not,  is  usually  a  successful  man  ;  such 
men  we  seek  for,  and  such  men  seek  for  us.” 

In  the  last  paragraph  of  last  year’s  report  (1884),  Mr. 
Spurgeon  says : 

“  During  the  twenty-eight  years  of  our  existence,  six  hun¬ 
dred  and  seventy-five  men,  exclusive  of  those  at  present 
studying  with  us,  have  been  received  into  the  College,  ‘  of 
whom  the  greater  part  remain  unto  this  day ;  but  some 
(forty-six)  have  fallen  asleep.’  Making  all  deductions, 
there  are  are  now  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  in  some  depart¬ 
ment  of  useful  service,  about  five  hundred  and  sixty  breth¬ 
ren.  Of  these,  five  hundred  and  five  are  in  our  own 
denomination  as  pastors,  missionaries,  and  evangelists. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


145 


For  the  following  illustration  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  influ¬ 
ence  over  young  men,  we  are  indebted  to  Rev.  George  E. 
Rees,  of  Philadelphia,  formerly  a  student  at  Bristol  Col¬ 
lege,  England. 

In  the  year  1868,  the  Autumnal  Meetings  of  the  Baptist 
Union  were  held  at  Bristol.  It  was  not  customary  to  send 
the  visiting  friends  to  hotels  and  hoarding  houses,  for  every 
Christian  home  was  open  to  receive  guests.  Hospitality 
was  the  law  of  the  hour.  Every  denomination  joined  in 
entertaining,  including  high  dignitaries  of  the  Church  of 
England.  The  students  of  the  Baptist  College,  like  every 
one  else,  were  animated  by  a  desire  to  entertain,  and  it  was 
resolved  to  invite  Mr.  Spurgeon  and  two  or  three  other 
prominent  men  to  breakfast  in  the  college  building.  It 
was  a  great  occasion  with  the  students  and  the  presence  of 
the  chief  guest  imparted  a  hilarious  spirit  to  all.  His  good 
nature  and  jolliky  infected  everybody,  and  broke  up  the 
reserve  and  timidity  Common  to  most  of  us  when  in  the 
presence  of  distinguished  persons.  There  were  no  long 
pauses  of  oppressive  silence  when  Mr.  Spurgeon  sat  at  the 
table.  The  house  was  full  of  mirth  and  laughter  from  the 
hour  he  entered  it.  When  breakfast  was  over,  we  adjourned 
to  the  lecture  room  where  Dr.  F.  W.  Gotch  was  accustomed 
to  lecture  to  his  students.  Many  friends  of  the  college  had 
gathered  to  hear  Mr.  Spurgeon  talk  to  the  young  men. 
The  previous  evening  he  had  telegraphed  to  London  for 
some  of  the  lectures  he  was  accustomed  to  give  to  the  stu¬ 
dents  of  his  own  college.  They  had  not  yet  arrived  and 
his  brother  James  went  to  the  railway  office  in  search  of 
them. 

During  the  time  of  waiting,  Mr.  Spurgeon  began  to  talk 
in  an  informal  manner  about  things  in  general.  One  foot 
was  on  a  chair  and  one  hand  in  his  pocket,  and  his  face 
wore  that  contagious  brightness  so  common  to  it  in  his 
earlier  years.  Very  soon  the  lecture  room  became  a  scene 
of  convulsive  laughter  and  tears.  We  forget  what  he  said, 
but  the  emotions  and  heart-stirrings  we  can  never  forget. 
Nothing  we  had  ever  heard  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  given  us 
a  true  conception  of  his  electrifying  power  over  young  men. 
That  brief  hour  was  enough  to  explain  why  all  the  students 


146 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


of  his  College  had  caught  so  much  of  his  spirit,  cultivated 
his  voice,  and  adopted  his  methods  of  speech  and  work. 
We  had  often  heard  them  criticised  for  the  Spurgeonic  tones 
and  for  going  up  and  down  the  land  as  imitators  of  their 
famous  preacher.  It  must  be  confessed  that  the  men  of 
older  Baptist  colleges  were  not  predisposed  to  think  very 
kindly  of  Spurgeon’s  students.  They  were  pushing  into 
nearly  all  the  vacant  churches,  creating  a  sort  of  glut  in 
the  ministerial  market,  and,  as  some  said,  lowering  the 
standard  of  scholarship  and  culture  in  the  Baptist  min¬ 
istry.  We  had  heard  a  great  deal  of  this  and  were  more 
or  less  affected  by  the  prevailing  sentiment.  But  after  being 
in  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  presence  half  an  hour,  every  disposition 
to  blame  his  students  for  following  their  teacher’s  methods 
and  imitating  his  voice  and  style  of  speech  was  gone.  We 
could  not  see  how  young  men  could  help  it,  for  he  was  a 
man  of  so  much  distinctive  personality  and  so  supremely 
attractive,  that  every  one  necessarily  and  unconsciously 
received  upon  his  mind  and  character  the  image  of  Spur¬ 
geon  himself.  From  that  day  to  this,  we  have  had  no  dis¬ 
position  to  blame  any  of  his  students  for  having  his  stamp 
upon  them.  It  is  a  good  stamp  to  have.  No  voice  that 
we  have  ever  heard  could  be  imitated  with  so  much  advan¬ 
tage  as  his. 

After  he  had  talked  to  us  for  twenty  minutes,  his 
brother  James  returned  with  a  parcel  of  his  lectures,  and, 
having  looked  over  them,  he  placed  one  on  the  table  from 
which  he  gave  us  full  extracts.  It  was  afterward  pub¬ 
lished  in  his  first  volume  of  “  Lectures  to  My  Students.” 
He  did  not  read,  but  let  his  eye  fall  on  the  lecture  as  it  lay 
on  the  table  before  him.  It  was  the  “Lecture  on  the 
Voice,”  perhaps  the  brightest  and  most  amazing  in  the 
series.  It  was  exhilarating  to  the  utmost  degree.  English¬ 
men,  strange  as  it  may  seem  to  us  on  this  side  of  the  At¬ 
lantic, — -Englishmen,  phlegmatic  and  self-satisfied  as  they 
often  are, — are  quick  to  see  a  point  and  respond  with  all 
their  souls  to  a  bit  of  humor  or  a  funny  story.  They  in¬ 
dulge  far  more  freely  in  laughter  and  applause  than  we  do. 
It  may  readily  be  imagined  then  how  the  students  and 
young  ministers  (the  best  laughers  and  applauders  in  the 
world)  greeted  almost  every  sentence  with  boisterous  cheers, 
as  the  speaker  described  the  various  kinds  of  voices  heard 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


147 


in  our  pulpits.  He  described  the  dignified,  doctorial,  in¬ 
flated,  and  bombastic  style  of  pulpit  speech,  with  rolling 
and  swelling  voice,  then  the  wincing,  lady-like,  and  dawd¬ 
ling  style,  with  inimitable  humor.-  Perhaps  he  excelled  in 
his  caricatures  of  the  ore  rotundo  school  of  oratory.  No 
one  ever  hated  unnaturalness  in  manner  of  speech  with  a 
more  perfect  hatred  than  he.  Very  few  things  which  Mr. 
Spurgeon  wrote  are  more  fresh  and  entertaining,  or  more 
religiously  helpful  than  those  lectures  to  his  students.  Of 
course,  they  have  not  literary  finish,  nor  do  they  measure 
up  to  the  standard  of  Brooks’  and  Dale’s  lectures  at  Yale; 
but  in  some  respects  they  are  the  best,  most  practical  and 
soul-moving  of  any  lectures  delivered  to  theological  stud¬ 
ents.  Then  next  to  these  come  the  addresses  given  to  his 
students  at  the  Annual  Conferences  of  the  Pastors’  College. 
One  of  the  latest  of  them  was  that  vigorous  plea  for  the  old 
theology  called  “  The  Greatest  Fight  in  the  World,”  the  title 
being  evidently  suggested  by  Drummond’s  “  The  Greatest 
Thing  in  the  World.”  He  himself  said,  in  speaking  of  his 
lectures  to  his  students :  “  I  do  not  offer  that  which  cost  me 
nothing,  for  I  have  done  my  best  and  taken  abundant 
pains.” 

During  the  week  beginning  Sunday,  May  1,  1881,  was 
the  Annual  Conference  of  the  Students  and  Graduates  of 
the  Pastors’  College.  The  former  students  came  from  all 
over  England,  drawn  by  the  loving  desire  to  sit  once  more 
at  the  feet  of  their  President,  Pastor,  and  F riend.  Monday 
was  occupied  largely  with  a  prayer  meeting.  On  Tuesday, 
Mr.  Spurgeon  gave  his  Annual  Address.  In  this  address, 
he  pours  out  the  richness  of  his  affection  and  his  experience. 
I  doubt  if  anywhere  his  highest  .qualities  come  out  more 
strongly  than  on  these  occasions  and  in  his  lectures  to  the 
students.  Sometimes  the  hearers  are  aroused  to  an  almost 
overpowering  degree  of  enthusiasm. 

On  Wednesday  there  was  a  Conference  on  the  topic, 
“  How  to  win  souls  and  to  evangelize  England.”  Six  or 
eight  former  students,  now  pastors,  spoke.  From  time  to 


148 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


time,  Mr.  Spurgeon  would  put  in  a  word  of  caution,  of 
encouragement,  of  instruction,  of  experience.  At  one 
time,  he  said : 

We  must  be  careful  not  to  despise  small  opportunities. 
Some  time  ago,  I  had  been  very  ill.  On  Sunday  morning, 
feeling  a  little  better,  though  weak,  I  managed  to  get  down 
stairs.  My  wife  said  to  me : 

“  Do  you  think  you  could  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  to 
the  servants  and  any  who  might  come  in  ?  ” 

I  told  her  I  would  try.  About  twenty  came  in,  and  I 
read  a  chapter,  and  explained  it,  though  in  great  weakness. 
My  second  gardener  went  home  and  said  to  his  wife : 

“  Why,  I  understand  the  Bible  when  Master  reads  it.” 
His  wife  said  : 

“Do  you  think  he  will  do  the  same  thing  next  Sunday?” 
“Perhaps,  if  he  doesn’t  get  well.”  In  the  course  of  the 
week,  he  was  converted.  Next  Sunday  his  wife  came,  and 
she  and  one  of  her  friends  were  converted. 

In  the  evening  was  the  annual  meeting  and  supper,  the 
Lord  Mayor,  Sir  William  Mac  Arthur,  presiding.  In  ex¬ 
pressing  his  thankfulness  for  what  had  been  done-  by  the 
College  and  the  students,  Mr.  Spurgeon  said,  “  It  appears 
to  me  that  nobody  ever  had  such  friends  as  I.  I  have 
friends  who  write  to  me,  saying,  ‘  Tell  me  whenever  you  are 
in  want  of  money.’  ” 

One  of  the  young  men  read  a  paper  on  “  Temperance  in 
its  Relation  to  Religion.”  After  the  paper,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
said,  “  I  have  been  an  abstainer  for  several  years.” 

It  may  be  added  in  this  connection  that  Rev.  W.  J. 
Mayers,  of  Bristol,  a  former  student  of  the  Pastors’  College, 
told  the  writer,  that  in  1884  he  put  the  blue  ribbon  upon  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Spurgeon.  There  is  no  subject,  (after  salvation 
by  Christ)  upon  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  has  spoken  more 
often  and  more  earnestly  than  upon  the  evil  of  drink.  In 


LIFE  OF  SP  UR  GE  ON. 


149 


the  most  widely  and  circulated  of  his  books,  “John  Plough¬ 
man’s  Talk  ”  and  “John  Ploughman’s  Pictures,”  he  has,  in 
the  homely  and  forcible  and  direct  speech  of  John  Plough¬ 
man,  warned  and  pleaded  against  the  ale  house,  and  has 
shown  the  folly  of  the  man  who  “  has  a  hole  under  his  nose, 
and  pours  down  all  his  wages.” 

A  colporteur  of  the  Colporteurs’  Association  reports : 
“  The  hook,  ‘John  Ploughman’s  Pictures,’  has  been  the  means 
of  leading  one  man  to  give  up  drink.  He  has  joined  the 
Congregationalists,  and  he  wishes  me  to  tell  Mr.  Spurgeon 
that  he  owes  his  conversion  to  that  book.” 

In  his  Annual  Report  as  President  (1881),  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
in  speaking  of  the  societies  among  the  students,  said  : 

“  The  Temperance  Society  also  does  a  good  work  and 
tends  to  keep  alive  among  the  men  a  burning  hatred  of 
England’s  direst  curse.”  A  lady  highly  respected  in 
Philadelphia,  Mrs.  C.  E.  Moorhead,  said  to  the  writer: 

“  Twenty  years  ago  I  was  at  the  same  hotel  with  Mr. 
Spurgeon  in  Paris;  and  at  the  long  dining  table,  he  was 
the  only  gentleman  who  did  not  touch  wine.” 

And  we  must  bear  in  mind  the  almost  universal  use  of 
wine  and  beer  among  all  classes  in  England,  ministers  not 
excepted.  The  writer  heard  Mr.  Gladstone,  in  his  speech 
on  the  Budget,  (1881)  say: 

“  Mr.  Bass  (now  Lord  Burton)  has  given  us  the  most 
delightful  beverage  ever  known  since  nectar  went  out  of 
fashion.” 

The  founding  of  the  Pastors’  College  by  a  young  man  of 
twenty-six  was  a  wonderful  instance  of  that  bravery  and 
faith  in  God  which  would  have  been  condemned  as  fool¬ 
hardiness  if  it  had  not  been  justified  by  results.  But  Mr. 
Spurgeon  felt  himself  led,  and  almost  forced  into  it  by  the 


150 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


plain  providence  of  God.  The  issue  passed  his  brightest 
hopes  ;  ninety  thousand  have  been  baptized  by  pastors  who 
studied  at  the  College.  Mr.  Spurgeon,  in  vindicating 
the  existence  of  the  College,  once  showed  that  but  for 
the  baptisms  by  the  students,  there  would  have  been  an 
actual  diminution  of  the  denomination  in  the  preceding 
year. 

The  College  enabled  him  to  do  what  is  one  of  the  greatest 
means  of  usefulness :  he  multiplied  himself  (we  say  it  with 
profound  reverence)  as  the  Master  repeated  himself  in  his 
apostles  and  disciples.  Wherever  there  was  a  loving, 
devout,  earnest  student,  there  was  a  smaller  Spurgeon. 
They  are  not  editors ;  they  are  not  literateurs ;  they  are 
not  professors :  they  are  preachers.  And  if,  now  and  then, 
they  show  by  their  tones  or  manner  the  traces  of  the  mas¬ 
ter  whom  in  common  with  all  the  world  they  admired,  is 
it  strange?  Is  it  uncommon  in  America  to  recognize  in 
the  pupils  something  of  the  teacher  ?  There  is  only  one 
way  to  avoid  all  liability  of  being  imitated ;  it  is  by  being 
destitute  of  all  that  can  tempt  to  imitation. 

Not  that  Mr.  Spurgeon  made  Spurgeonites  or  that  he 
founded  a  New  School,  the  School  of  Spurgeonism.  It  is 
to  his  honor  that  he  introduced  no  new  doctrines.  He  ex¬ 
pressly  abjured  the  thought  of  such  a  scheme.  If  men 
might  but  have  more  of  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  and  Paul,  he 
was  satisfied.  As  always,  the  penalty  of  success  was  greater 
burdens.’  When  the  students  went  out  and  preached  in 
destitute  places,  a  blessing  so  rested  on  their  labors  that 
congregations  were  gathered,  and  chapels  were  needed. 
To  whom  should  the  young  men  look  but  to  the  loving 
friend,  and  the  strong  helper?  And  he  responded  first 
from  his  own  means.  His  last  letter  to  his  pupil,  Mr.  Cuff, 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  151 

carried  fifty  pounds  for  a  church  enterprise.  And  then 
the  church  was  enlisted. 

Some  of  the  students  went  as  missionaries  to  the  lands  of 
heathenism  or  of  baptized  superstition.  These  too  called 
for  help.  But  as  the  calls  grew,  the  faith  of  the  Lord’s 
servant  grew,  and  the  Lord’s  faithfulness  became  more 
manifest.  From  unexpected  quarters  help  came.  Persons 
whom  he  had  never  known,  yet  who  knew  his  wisdom  and 
goodness,  placed  large  sums  in  his  hands.  And  in  a  multi¬ 
tude  of  cases  these  gifts  just  met  some  pressing  need.  The 
old  miracles  seemed  renewed. 

Such  cases  as  these  would  happen  all  the  time.  Mr. 
Spurgeon,  driving  not  far  from  his  home  on  Tuesday,  saw 
a  spot  where'  there  was  need  of  a  chapel.  He  asked  the 
Lord  for  help.  On  Thursday,  when  he  came  home,  his 
wife  said : 

“  There  was  a  gentleman  here  to  see  you,  and  he  left 
some  money  for  you  to  use  just  as  you  choose;  and  how 
much  do  you  think  it  was  ?  ” 

“Five  hundred  pounds?” 

“  No  ;  it  was  one  thousand  pounds.” 

So  Mr.  Spurgeon  bought  a  lot  for  the  chapel  for  five 
hundred  pounds,  selling  off  enough  to  make  it  cost  but  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds ;  and  the  chapel  was  built. 

They  begged  him  to  come  to  a  village  where  a  poor 
brother  wanted  to  build  a  house.  lie  went  and  preached 
to  them.  Then  he  said  : 

“  It  will  cost  six  hundred  pounds  to  put  up  a  little  chapel. 
How  much  can  you  raise  among  yourselves  ?  ” 

They  reckoned  up  and  thought  by  hard  lifting  and  great 
sacrifice,  they  could  raise  twenty  pounds.  He  said  to 
them : 


152 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


“  Now  I  want  you  to  promise  me  that  you  will  all  pray 
about  this.” 

A  little  while  after,  a  gentleman  called  to  see  Mr. 
Spurgeon,  and  said : 

“I  owe  you  a  great  deal.  I  once  had  a  handsome 
property,  but  I  lost  it  by  endorsing.  I  was  much  dis¬ 
couraged,  but  just  then  I  heard  you  preach,  and  you  gave 
me  such  faith  and  courage,  that  I  began  again,  and  God 
has  blessed  me.  I  want  to  give  you  one  hundred  pounds 
to  use  as  you  please.” 

“  That  will  be  a  good  start  for  the  little  church,”  said 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  he  told  the  gentleman  about  it. 

“  Please  tell  the  people,”  the  latter  said,  “that  I  will  not 
only  give  this  one  hundred  pounds,  but  I  will  give  the  last 
hundred  of  the  six  hundred.” 

“  And  now,”  added  Mr.  Spurgeon,  “  I  am  looking  out  for 
the  other  four  hundred  pounds.” 

Once,  when  the  Trustees  of  the  Orphanage  met,  there 
were  three  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  on  hand,  and  bills  to 
be  paid  amounting  to  three  hundred  and  sixty  pounds. 
As  this  left  the  treasury  empty,  he  said : 

“We  must  look  to  God;  but  first,  how  much  are  we 
ourselves  willing  to  do?  I  have  twenty-five  pounds  for 
the  orphans.  Here  are  six  of  us  ;  I  suppose  each  will  do  as 
much.” 

And  at  once,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  was  made  up. 
Then,  without  leaving  his  seat,  Mr.  Spurgeon  asked  God 
for  help.  Within  a  very  short  time,  he  received  eight 
hundred  pounds  for  the  Orphanage  and  one  thousand  six 
hundred  pounds  for  other  objects.  Very  soon,  a  gentleman 
called  and  said : 

“ Mr  Spurgeon,  you  do  not  know  me? ” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


153 


“  No,  sir.” 

“Will  you  promise  uot  to  make  any  effort  to  know  my 
name  ?  ” 

“  Certainly.” 

“  Well,  here  is  one  hundred  pounds  for  the  College,  on« 
hundred  pounds  for  your  colporteurs,  and  five  hundred 
pounds  for  the  Orphanage.” 

We  are  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Churchill  H.  Cutting:, 
Esq.,  for  the  following,  addressed  to  his  father,  the  late 
honored  S.  S.  Cutting,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of  the  American 
Baptist  Education  Commission,  which  gives  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 
idea  of  a  theological  school  for  plain  ministers.  It  embodies 
the  gigantic  common  sense  characteristic  of  its  author. 

1.  Found  a  College  into  which  men  with  an  ordinary 
English  education  can  be  admitted  without  being  degraded 
by  comparison  with  graduates  of  secular  universities. 

2  Set  before  the  men  no  ambition  after  scholarship  for 
its  own  sake,  but  keep  them  to  the  one  aim  of  being  soul- 
winners  and  edifiers  of  the  saints — therefore  do  not  aim  at 
degrees,  etc. 

3.  Provide  for  poor  men  all  necessaries — board,  lodging, 
clothes,  books,  in  fact,  all  they  want. 

4.  Keep  all  this  at  the  cheapest  rate,  that  men  may  not 
form  habits  they  cannot  afterward  live  up  to. 

5.  Affiliate  the  College  to  a  large  working  church. 
Expect  the  men  to  be  members,  and  during  the  first  six 
months  workers  in  the  schools,  etc. 

6.  Keep  the  period  of  study  short,  say  two  to  three  years. 
Never  exceed  this.  Men  who  cannot  do  in  that  time,  are 
no  great  good  for  rough  work. 

7.  Give  every  man  the  first  three  or  six  months  as  pro¬ 
bation,  and  constantly  weed  out  the  idle,  vain,  inefficient, 
or  devoid  of  zeal. 

8.  Keep  up  the  devotional  spirit  by  giving  half  a  day  in 
the  week  for  nothing  but  prayer.  Begin  each  class  with 
prayer. 

9.  Make  them  live  in  Christian  families,  and  send  round 


154 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


a  Christian  man  constantly  to  inquire  as  to  habits,  domes¬ 
tic,  moral,  etc. 

10.  Make  it  known  by  your  magazines  and  papers  that 
men  can  be  received  and  are  wanted.  See  my  yearly 
Almanac. 

11.  Do  not  embarrass  the  President  with  committees,  etc. 

12.  Sort  the  men  and  do  not  make  the  studies  in  each 
case  the  same.  Some  never  will  learn  classics ;  some  will 
readily. 

13.  Have  frequent  sermonizings,  discussions,  etc.,  and 
encourage  extempore  speech. 

14.  Let  a  man  who  is  really  a  good  fellow  stay  till  a 
place  is  ready  for  him;  and  let  him  come  back,  if,  in  his 
first  church,  he  does  not  succeed.  Keep  him  with  you 
another  term  and  let  him  try  again. 

15.  With  poor  men  keep  up  a  system  of  traveling  libra¬ 
ries  to  keep  them  in  books  and  help  them  to  go  on  edu¬ 
cating  themselves. 

16.  Let  tutors  be  brethren  to  the  men,  not  lords.  The 
more  familiar  the  intercourse  the  deeper  the  love  and  the 
truer  the  respect. 

17.  Call  in  pastors,  missionaries,  and  successful  workers 
to  talk  to  the  men  and  tell  them  their  experiences. 

18.  Keep  the  men  to  outdoor  preaching  and  encourage 
them  to  be  winning  souls  while  students. 

19.  Make  the  physical  sciences  a  great  point;  they 
furnish  illustrations,  relieve  the  severity  of  study,  and 
enlarge  the  mind.  Change  of  work  is  recreation. 

20.  Keep  the  church  praying  for  them.  Interest  the 
church  by  meetings  in  which  the  men  speak.  Let  begin¬ 
ners  speak,  and  then  in  after  months  the  people  will  remark 
their  progress,  and  see  the  reality  of  their  preparation. 

21.  Believe  in  Dr.  Francis  Wayland’s  “  Principles  of  the 
Baptists,”  and  practically  carry  them  out. 

22.  The  Lord,  the  Holy  Spirit  direct  you,  and  bless  you 
with  his  guidance ;  follow  that  guidance,  and  not  my 
recommendations  wherein  they  fail. 

C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

Mr.  Spurgeon’s  well-known  estimate  of  committees  comes 
out  in  the  above,  as  in  his  well-known  mot,  “  The  best  com- 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  155 

mittce  is  a  committee  of  three,  of  whom  one  is  away  and 
another  is  at  home  sick.” 

Akin  to  the  College  in  spirit  is  the  Colporteurs’  Associa¬ 
tion,  which  has  its  headquarters  at  the  College,  and  is  sus¬ 
tained  by  the  church.  It  has  about  ninety  colporteurs  in 


the  field,  who  sell  each  year  toward  two  hundred  thousand 
books  and  twice  that  number  of  magazines,  besides  giving 
away  tracts  and  sermons  by  the  million. 

Rev.  R.  Shindler,  in  his  most  interesting  “  C.  H.  Spurgeon’s 
Life  and  Work,”  gives  a  list  of  various  missions  and  schools 

13 


COUPORTKUR  AND  BlRLB  CARRIAGE 


156 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


connected  with  the  Tabernacle,  beside  city  missionaries, 
Bible  women,  mothers’  meetings,  orphanage,  and  colporteur 
working  societies,  etc.  In  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  mind,  salvation 
and  service  were  inseparable ;  he  knew  no  salvation  that 
did  not  also  mean  service. 

The  following  list  will  give  some  idea  of  the  missionary 
work  carried  on  by  the  Metropolitan  Church : 

Almshouses’  Sunday-school. 

Dunn’s  Institute. 

Boddy’s  Bridge. 

Portobello  Road,  Notting  Hill. 

Battersea  Park  Road. 

Lavinia  Road,  King’s  Cross. 

Little  George  Street,  Bermondsey. 

Bedfont,  near  Hounslow. 

North  Cheam. 

Waltham  Abbey. 

Townsend  Street,  Old  Kent  Road. 

/ 

Centenary  Memorial. 

Richmond  Street,  Walworth,  Sunday  and  Ragged  schools. 
Haddon  Hall,  Bermondsey. 

Surrey  Gardens,  Memorial  Hall. 

Stockwell  Orphanage. 

Lansdowne  Place. 

Rock  Mission,  Camberwell. 

Jireh  Mission,  Garden  Row,  S.  E. 

Bermondsey  Ragged  School. 

Boundary  Lane,  Camberwell. 

Ebury  Street,  S.  W. 

Great  Hunter  Street 
North  Street,  Kensington. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


157 


Snow’s  Field,  Bermondsey. 

Palmer’s  Green. 

W  ansted. 

Surrey  Square,  Old  Kent  Road. 

Townley  Street,  Walworth. 

Vinegar  Ground,  Old  Street. 

Ormside  Street,  Old  Kent  Road. 

Scovill  Road,  Borough. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Sunday-school. 

Ten  Bible  Classes :  One  for  men  only,  one  for  women  only, 
one  for  men  and  women,  the  remainder  for  young  men 
and  young  women. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Christian  Brothers’  Benefit  So¬ 
ciety. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Evangelists’  Association  and 
Country  Mission  (with  training  class  for  the  workers). 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Flower  Mission. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Gospel  Temperance  Society. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Ladies’  Benevolent  Society. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Ladies’  Maternal  Society. 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Loan  Tract  Society  (for  the  house- 
to-house  distribution  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  Sermons  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Tabernacle). 

Spurgeon’s  Sermons’  Tract  Society  (for  the  circulation  of 
Mr.  Spurgeon’s  Sermons  in  Country  districts). 

Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Poor  Ministers’  Clothing  Society. 

City  Missionaries,  BibleWomen,  Mothers’  Meetings,  Orphan¬ 
age  and  Colportage  Working  Societies,  and  numerous 
other  agencies. 

At  the  Memorial  Services  at  the  Tabernacle,  on  Wednes¬ 
day,  February  10th,  there  was  a  meeting  for  members  and 


158 


LIFE  OF  SPUPGEOM. 


workers  at  which  there  were  fervent  and  manly  pleadings 
for  the  Home  Mission  Work  of  the  church,  and  Mr.  Wil¬ 
liam  Olney  stated  that,  “  On  Sunday  evenings  fully  one 
thousand  members  of  the  Tabernacle  were  absent,  engaged 
in  this  mission  work.” 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  ORPHANAGE. 

TRULY  God  leads  his  servants  by  ways  that  they  know 
not.  Mr.  Spurgeon  founded  the  Pastors’  College 
because  he  saw  an  urgent  need,  though  he  knew  not  whence 
the  means  would  come.  The  Orphanage  exists  largely  be¬ 
cause  the  means  were  pressed  on  him.  He  had  mentioned 
in  the  “  Sword  and  Trowel  ”  several  lines  of  Christian  benev¬ 
olence,  and  among  them  an  Orphanage.  Not  long  after¬ 
wards,  in  September,  1866,  Mrs.  Hillyard,  a  Baptist  lady, 
the  widow  of  a  Church  of  England  clergyman,  wrote,  pro¬ 
posing  to  give  him  twenty  thousand  pounds  for  the  founda¬ 
tion  of  an  orphanage  for  boys.  Mr.  Spurgeon,  already 
over-burdened,  was  reluctant  to  undertake  this  new  labor, 
and  he  urged  Mrs.  Hillyard  to  give  the  money  for  Mr. 
Miillcr’s  orphan  houses  on  Ashley  Downs,  Bristol.  But 
she  had  made  up  her  mind,  and  Mr.  Spurgeon  after  some 
discussion  consented  to  carry  out  her  plan.  A  Board  of 
Trustees  was  formed,  with  Mr.  Spurgeon  as  President.  A 
location  was  selected  at  Stockwell,  and  negotiations  begun 
for  the  purchase.  The  lodge  of  the  Orphanage  is  on  leased 
land ;  the  lease  contains  a  condition  that,  if  the  premises 
are  ever  used  for  “  a  tavern,  or  a  tripe  shop,  or  a  conventicle, 
or  any  other  nuisance,”  the  lease  becomes  void.  A  prayer¬ 
meeting  at  the  lodge  would  vitiate  the  lease. 

Unfortunately,  as  it  seemed,  very  providentially,  as  it 
turned  out,  when  they  were  ready  to  push  on  the  work  the 
railroad  bonds  which  constituted  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Hillyard, 

159 


1G0 


I.lbE  OF  SPURGEON. 


were  below  par,  and  could  only  be  sold  at  a  great  loss.  It 
was  decided  to  reserve  them  as  an  endowment,  and  to 
gather  means  for  purchasing  the  grounds  and  building  the 
cottages  from  other  sources.  The  Tabernacle  was  enlisted 
in  prayer  and  in  sacrifice  ;  the  answers  were  wonderful.  A 
gentleman  of  wealth,  on  his  silver  wedding,  made  his  wife 
a  gift  of  five  hundred  pounds.  The  lady,  who  had  often 
been  a  helper  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  gave  the  money  toward  one 
of  the  cottages.  A  gentleman  handed  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 
secretary  an  envelope  containing  six  hundred  pounds,  re¬ 
fusing  to  have  his  name  mentioned.  The  money  was 
devoted  to  a  second  cottage.  The  story  of  the  third  cot¬ 
tage  was  most  touching.  The  workmen  who  had  been 
employed  on  the  first  two  offered  to  give  their  work  toward 
a  third  ;  and  the  employers  promised  the  material.  And  so 
the  Silver  Wedding  House,  the  Merchant’s  House  and  the 
Workmen’s  House  were  built,  and,  less  than  a  year  from 
the  time  of  the  first  gift,  the  corner  stones  were  laid,  one 
by  Mrs.  Hillyard,  one  by  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  one  by  Mr. 
Higgs,  in  behalf  of  the  workmen.  On  that  day,  two  thou¬ 
sand  four  hundred  pounds  was  collected. 

Seeing  how  wonderfully  faithful  God  was  to  his  prom¬ 
ises,  the  trustees  determined  to  put  up  eight  cottages. 
Deacon  Olney,  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Tabernacle,  with 
his  sons,  gave  a  fourth,  in  memory  of  Mrs.  Olney.  The 
Baptist  Union  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  voted  to  give 
two  ;  the  Sunday  School  of  the  Tabernacle  gave  another ; 
the  students  at  the  Pastors’  College  gave  an  eighth,  the 
corner  stone  of  which  was  laid  by  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  who, 
though  a  constant  invalid  and  sufferer,  was  wonderfully 
strengthened  for  that  day. 

The  work  continued  with  almost  daily  marks  of  God’s 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


1G1 


favor.  The  gift  of  money  made  to  Mr.  Spurgeon  on  his 
thirty-fourth  birthday,  he,  with  his  habitual  generosity, 
devoted  to  the  Orphanage.  Within  two  years  from  the 
time  when  the  project  was  first  entertained,  the  entire  sum 
for  building  and  furnishing  the  eight  houses,  ten  thousand 
two  hundred  pounds,  was  pledged. 

The  same  divine  guidance  and  blessing  which  had  been 
so  plain  in  the  original  purpose  and  in  the  creation  of 
means  no  less  presided  over  the  choice  of  a  head  master. 
Mr.  Vernon  J.  Charlesworth,  a  member  of  the  Tabernacle 
Church  since  1874,  has  shown  all  the  varied  qualities  which 
make  him  the  kind,  wise  father  of  this  large  family.  No 
doubt  it  was  owing  to  his  administrative  ability,  seconding 
the  wise  judgment  of  the  founder,  that  the  annual  cost  of 
the  maintenance  of  each  orphan  is  fourteen  pounds  ten 
shillings,  while  in  several  similar  institutions  it  is  twenty- 
nine  pounds.  But  economy  is  not  effected  by  any  sacrifice 
of  comfort,  happiness,  or  health.  Sometimes  there  has 
been  need  of  close  frugality ;  but  there  has  never  been 
want.  The  Orphanage  is  a  home;  the  children  arc  not 
institutionalized.  They  do  not  wear  an  antique  outlandish 
garb,  like  the  boys  whose  blue  coats,  set  off  with  yellow 
leather  belts,  and  always  bare  heads,  mark  them  out  in 
the  streets  of  London  as  “  Blue  Coat  Boys.”  They  are 
dressed  like  other  lads  of  their  age.  Mr.  Charlesworth 
said : 

“At  a  certain  season  of  the  year,  the  dealers  all  have  rem¬ 
nants  of  excellent  material  which  they  are  glad  to  sell  at  half 
price.  In  the  winter,  there  are  many  tailors  who  are  out 
of  work,  and  who  are  glad  to  be  employed  at  very  low 
wages.  So  we  get  the  clothes  made  of  the  best  material 
and  in  the  best  manner,  at  the  lowest  rate,  and  with  benefit 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


r'02 

to  all  concerned.  We  find  that  the  best  is  the  cheapest  in 
the  end.” 

The  boys  attend  school  daily,  and  have  a  good  English 
education.  They  are  not  taught  any  particular  trade,  but 
are  trained  to  do  j  ust  as  they  are  bid  ;  they  are  always  in 


ONE  OF  THE  SCHOOL-ROOMS. 

demand  in  shops  and  work  shops,  and  are  often  promoted 
by  their  employers.  They  are  strongly  attached  to  the 
Orphanage  and  very  often  give  to  it  their  first  earnings. 

Usually  in  England,  interest  is  regarded  in  the  admission 
of  persons  to  charitable  institutions.  A  person  has  a  vote 


The  Girls’  Home— Stockwell  Orphanage. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  165 

in  the  admission  of  candidates  for  each  guinea  of  Ins 
annual  subscription.  A  person  wishing  admission  for  her¬ 
self  or  her  child,  goes  from  one  patron  or  subscriber  to 
another  soliciting  votes,  and  may  thus  spend  money  abso¬ 
lutely  needed  at  home,  and  all  in  vain,  if  some  one  else  can 
get  more  votes  and  interest.  Thus,  the  more  friends  one 
has — that  is,  the  less  needy  and  destitute  he  is — the  better 
his  chance  of  being  relieved.  All  is  otherwise  at  Stock- 
well  ;  no  claim  is  considered  but  need.  It  is  pitiable  indeed 
to  see  a  widow  with  three  children  go  away  unsuccessful  in 
her  application,  because  another  with  six  children  was  more 
necessitous ;  but  at  least  she  has  not  spent  her  scanty 
means  in  canvassing  for  votes. 

The  Orphanage  is  strictly  unsectarian  in  conferring  its 
blessings.  During  its  first  twelve  years,  of  five  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  admitted,  two  hundred  and  four  were  of 
Church  of  England  parentage,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  of  Baptist  parentage. 

Many  of  the  boys  have  become  Christians,  and  have  been 
baptized.  Some  of  them  have  entered  the  Pastors’  College. 

The  judgment  of  every  candid  and  intelligent  observer  is 
expressed  in  the  words  of  two  of  the  inspectors  sent  by  the 
Local  Government  Board  to  visit  the  Orphanage :  “An  ad¬ 
mirable  institution,  good  in  design,  and,  if  possible,  better 
in  execution.” 

Success  begets  success.  The  logical  conclusion  from  the 
“  Boys’  Orphanage  ”  was  the  Girls’  Orphanage.  Every  ar¬ 
gument  for  the  one  was,  at  least,  as  urgent  for  the  other.  In 
1879  gifts  began  to  come  in  for  a  series  of  buildings  for 
girls,  Mr.  Spurgeon,  as  usual,  leading  the  way.  A  fine 
piece  of  land,  lying  adjacent,  was  purchased  for  four  thou¬ 
sand  pounds,  and  paid  for.  Then  came  gifts  for  “  The 


LIFE  OF  STURGEON. 


166 

Reading  House,”  “  The  Liverpool  House,”  and  others. 
Eight  houses  were  erected  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  quad¬ 
rangle  from  the  boy’s  row. 

We  quote  from  the  letter  of  a  visitor  written  in  Octo¬ 
ber,  1886: 


Boys’  Playground— Stockwell  Orphanage.  Page  167. 

“  On  Monday  Mr.  Spurgeon  wrote  me  : 

“‘Friday  is  my  rest  day;  will  you  make  it  a  Spurgeon 
day?’ 

“  Of  course,  I  was  only  too  glad  ;  so  I  agreed  to  meet  him 
at  the  Orphanage  at  eleven  o’clock.  He  added : 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


167 


“  ‘  Make  an  engagement  and  then  be  sure  and  keep 
it,  like  an  editor ;  for  I  am  a  horribly  punctual  person 
myself.’ 

“  He  has  suffered  much  from  a  want  of  consideration  in 
visitors  with  whom  he  had  made  appointments.  So  we  were 
a  few  minutes  early.  We  found  at  the  Orphanage,  Rev. 
Charles  Spurgeon,  his  son,  pastor  at  Greenwich,  and  Mr. 
Charlesworth,  the  head  master.  Mr.  Spurgeon  soon  greeted 
us  most  heartily.  As  there  was  much  to  see,  he  did  not  let  the 
grass  grow  under  our  feet.  As  he  went  from  the  office  into 
the  playground,  cheer  on  cheer  rose  from  the  boys,  as  the 
burly  frame  of  their  friend,  the  father  of  the  Orphanage, 
was  recognized. 

“  We  went  first  to  the  laundry ;  the  machinery  is  all  of  the 
best.  Mr.  Spurgeon  believes  that  whatever  is  done  for  God 
should  be  done  perfectly.  The  girls  were  doing  the  iron¬ 
ing.  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  a  pleasant  word  for  each. 

“  The  next  cottage  is  the  head  master’s  house  ;  the  next  is 
the  staff  building  for  the  various  officers.  I  need  not  re¬ 
mind  you  that  there  is  not  one  vast  building,  but  a  series 
of  cottages.  It  cost  rather  more  at  the  start,  but  there  is 
more  family  life;  the  children  are  more  easily  managed; 
a  fire  or  a  contagion  could  be  kept  within  bounds,  and  then 
each  cottage  has  its  history ;  one  is  built  by  contributions  of 
friends  from  Liverpool,  and  an  inscription  records  the  fact, 
and  also  the  fact  that  the  corner-stone  was  laid  by  Rev.  Hugh 
Stowell  Brown,  of  Liverpool  ;  another  was  erected  to  cele¬ 
brate  the  silver  wedding  (though  it  1ms  been  a  (/olden  wed¬ 
ding  from  the  start)  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  it  has  an  in¬ 
scription  accordingly.  The  corner-stone  of  another  was 
laid  on  his  fifty-first  birthday. 

“  We  next  went  into  one  of  the  girls’  cottages,  holding 


G8 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


forty  or  fifty.  Everything  was  neat  and  homelike.  Then 
to  the  girls’  schoolrooms,  which  occupied  the  upper  story 
of  two  or  three  adjoining  cottages.  As  we  entered  each 
room  the  girls  welcomed  Mr.  Spurgeon  with  smiles  and  by 
clapping  their  hands.  It  made  the  tears  come  to  my  eyes 
again  and  again.  Mr.  Spurgeon  spoke  to  the  children,  and 


Infirmary — Stockwell  Orphanage.  Page  169. 


in  each  room  he  invited  the  visitor  to  say  a  word.  He 
himself  was  happy  and  full  of  sportiveness.  In  one  room 
the  girls  were  at  work  upon  arithmetic.  Mr.  Spurgeon  said  : 

“  ‘  Now,  suppose  I  should  cut  Dr. - in  two  [the  vis¬ 

itor  chances  to  be  very  lavishly  endowed  by  nature  in  the 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  1G9 

matter  of  body],  right  down  lengthwise,  wliat  would  that 
be  like  in  arithmetic?’ 

“  As  there  was  no  reply,  he  said : 

“  ‘  Why,  long  division  ;  and  suppose  I  should  cut  him  all 
up  into  little  bits,  what  would  that  be  ?  Would  it  not  be 
fractions  ?  And  suppose  I  should  walk  oft'  alone  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Williams  [the  son-in-law  and  daughter  of  the 
visitor]  ;  what  rule  would  that  be  like  ?  The  rule  of  three, 
would  it  not  ?  ’ 

“  The  buildings  are  on  the  sides  of  an  oblong  square.  The 
end  nearest  the  street  is  occupied  by  the  offices,  laundry, 
and  dining  hall ;  in  the  opposite  end  arc  the  infirmary, 
bath-house,  and  play-hall ;  on  the  right  as  you  enter  are  the 
girls’  cottages  ;  on  the  left,  the  boys’,  with  the  gymnasium. 

“  There  are  no  very  sick  children  in  the  infirmary  ;  but 
many  are  placed  there  when  they  come  in,  till  they  are 
free  from  all  skin  diseases  and  kindred  annoyances.  No 
sickly  children  are  taken,  though  not  seldom  they  have  an 
inherited  tendency  to  consumption. 

“  We  next  went  into  the  gymnasium,  where  thirty  or  forty 
of  the  boys,  under  a  teacher,  went  through  a  series  of 
athletic  exercises  with  vigor  and  skill.  The  boys  wore 
athletic  dresses  which  showed  the  development  of  the  mus¬ 
cles  and  the  proportions  of  the  frame. 

“  Mr.  Spurgeon  believes,  as  I  said,  in  doing  the  Lord’s 
work  well;  and  then,  if  the  boys  are  strong,  hale,  athletic, 
agile,  it  is  easy  to  get  places  for  them ;  they  are  always  in 
demand.  The  boys  also  are  taught  free-hand  drawing  and 
various  useful  arts.  Best  of  all,  they  are  taught  to  be 
prompt,  cheerful,  industrious.  All  through  the  Orphanage 
there  is  a  wonderful  blending  of  the  most  exalted  faith  and 
the  most  rugged  common  sense. 

14 


170 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


“  Then  there  was  an  exhibition  of  bell-ringing  by  some  of 
the  boys.  They  gave  a  March,  ‘Blue  Bells,’  the  West¬ 
minster  Chimes  (including  the  booming  of  ‘  Big  Ben  ’) 
and  ‘  Home,  Sweet  Home.’  The  entertainments  given  by 
the  children  are  very  popular.  On  a  fete  day,  as  on  the 
birthday  of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  when  an  exhibition  is  given 
with  a  small  charge  for  admission,  there  will  be  thirteen 
thousand  persons  present.  And  the  boys,  by  entertainments 
throughout  England,  earn  as  much  as  ten  thousand  dol¬ 
lars  a  year. 

“  Every  now  and  then  one  of  the  country  churches  holds 
a  festival  or  harvest  home  and  makes  an  offering  to  the 
Orphanage.  One  small  church  had  just  sent  in  several 
sacks  of  potatoes,  turnips,  nuts,  apples,  cabbages,  pears,  etc. 
But  the  apples  were  not  such  large,  rosy,  splendid  apples 
as  come  from  New  England  and  Northern  New  York,  and 
many  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  Michigan,  and  Ohio.  I  won¬ 
der  if  there  are  not  some  of  my  readers  who  would  like  to 
send  a  barrel  or  two  of  the  best  winter  apples,  hand-picked, 
without  a  bruise,  each  apple  done  up  separately  in  corn 
husks  or  paper,  to  the  Stockwell  Orphanage,  Clapham 
Koad,  London,  S.  W.  But  they  must  be  prepaid  through, 
and  there  must  not  be  a  doubtful  apple  among  them.  Only 
the  best  to  the  Lord  ! 

“  Then  we  went  to  the  bakery.  Much  of  the  work  is  done 
by  the  boys.  A  four  pound  loaf  is  made  to  cost  four  pence. 
In  the  pantry  was  the  carcass- of  a  sheep  just  sent  (frozen) 
from  New  Zealand  as  a  gift. 

“  The  girls  have  their  meals  in  their  several  cottages ; 
here,  too,  they  cook  and  do  their  house  work  with  only  the 
ordinary  conveniences. 

“  The  boys  take  their  meals  in  the  large  dining-hall ;  at 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


171 


the  end  of  each  table  a  matron  sits.  After  they  were  in 
their  places,  they  sang,  ‘  Let  us  with  a  gladsome  mind.’  I 
was  pleased  to  observe  that  the  first  dish  (which  comes 
twice  a  week)  was  baked  beans.  This  shows  the  spread 
of  Boston  ideas. 

“  I  have  spoken  of  the  hale,  vigorous  looks  of  the  children. 
The  evident  health  is  all  the  more  noticeable  when  you 
consider  that  not  a  few  of  them  came  poorly  fed  and 
weakly.  I  have  never  seen  a  finer  looking  set  of  boys. 

“Up  to  October  1,  1886,  there  had  been  :  Boys  received, 
857  ;  boys  left,  617  ;  present  number,  240.  Girls  received, 
273 ;  girls  left,  41 ;  present  number,  232.  Total  now  in 
residence,  472.  Total  children  received :  Boys,  857  ;  girls, 
273 ;  total,  1,130. 

“  One  of  the  most  interesting  features  is  the  inscriptions  on 
the  walls.  One  of  them  commemorates  an  orphan  who 
became  a  missionary,  and  died  in  the  service.  Five  of  the 
boys  have  become  ministers,  of  whom  three  went  to  the 
mission  field. 

“  Pointing  to  one  inscription,  Mr.  Spurgeon  said  : 

“  ‘  There  is  our  bank.’  I  read  the  words,  ‘  The  Lord  will 
provide  ;  ’  and,  near  by,  the  words  :  ‘  My  God  shall  supply 
all  your  need,  according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ 
Jesus.’ 

“  Mr.  Spurgeon  said : 

“  ‘  This  whole  Orphanage  is  an  argument  for  God.  I  say 
often  to  infidels,  “Will  you  take  this  and  carry  it  on  for  a 
month  ?  ” 

The  three  motives  leading  Mr.  Spurgeon  to  undertake 
the  Orphanage  were,  desire  to  relieve  suffering ;  a  hope  of 
enlisting  the  lads  and  girls  in  the  service  of  God  ;  and  a 
zeal  for  the  honor  of  God  whose  power  and  faithfulness 


172 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


would  be  signally  manifest  in  the  success  of  a  work  begun 
and  carried  on  in  trust  in  him.  Modifying  the  language 
of  the  brave  old  prophet  of  Jehovah,  he  has  often  proposed 
the  test,  “  The  God  that  answereth  by  orphanages,  let  him 
be  God !  ” 

The  work  has  been  to  him  its  own  exceeding  great 
reward.  Probably  nowhere,  outside  of  his  own  home,  has 
he  been  more  happy  than  within  the  walls  of  the  Orphan¬ 
age.  Nowhere  was  his  tenderness  more  strikingly  expressed. 
We  quote  briefly  from  Mr.  Gough’s  story  of  his  visit : 

As  we  entered  the  grounds,  the  boys  set  up  a  shout  of 
joy  at  the  sight  of  him.  .  .  .  He  was  like  a  great  boy 
among  boys.  .  .  .  “Will  you  go  to  the  infirmary?  We 
have  one  boy  very  ill  of  consumption  ;  he  cannot  live ;  he 
would  be  disappointed  if  he  knew  I  had  been  here,  and  had 
not  seen  him.”  In  the  cool  sweet  chamber  lay  the  boy. 
He  was  very  much  excited  when  he  saw  Mr.  Spurgeon. 
Holding  the  boy’s  hand  in  his,  he  said : 

“Well,  my  dear  boy,  you  have  some  precious  promises 
all  around  the  room.  Now,  dear  child,  you  are  going  to 
die ;  you  are  tired  lying  here ;  soon  you  will  be  free  from 
all  pain ;  and  you  will  be  at  rest.  Jesus  loves  you ;  he 
bought  you  with  his  precious  blood,  and  he  knows  what  is 
best  for  you.  It  seems  hard  for  you  to  be  here  and  listen 
to  the  shouts  of  the  healthy  boys  outside  at  play.  But 
soon  Jesus  will  take  you  home,  and  then  he  will  tell  you 
the  reason,  and  you  will  be  so  glad.” 

Then  laying  his  hand  on  the  boy’s,  without  the  formality 
of  kneeling,  he  said :  “  O  Jesus  Master,  this  dear  child  is 
reaching  out  his  thin  hand  to  find  thine.  Touch  him,  dear 
Saviour,  with  thy  living  warm  clasp.  Lift  him  as  he  passes 
the  river,  that  his  feet  be  not  chilled  by  the  cold  water  of 
death  ;  take  him  home  in  thine  own  good  time.  Comfort 
and  cherish  him  till  that  good  time  comes.  Show  him 
thyself  as  he  lies  here,  and  let  him  see  thee  more  and  more 
as  his  loving  Saviour.”  After  a  moment’s  pause,  “Now,  my 
dear  boy,  is  there  anything  you  would  like?  Would  you 
like  a  canary  in  a  cage  to  hear  him  sing  in  the  morning  ? 


The  Almshouses.  Page  175. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


175 


Nurse,  see  that  he  has  a  canary  to-morrow  morning.  Good¬ 
bye,  my  dear  boy  ;  you  will  see  the  Saviour  perhaps  before 
I  do.” 

I  had  seen  Mr.  Spurgeon  holding  by  his  power  sixty-five 
hundred  people  in  breathless  interest ;  I  knew  him  as  a 
great  man,  universally  esteemed  and  beloved ;  but,  as  he 
sat  by  the  bedside  of  a  dying  child,  he  was  to  me  greater 
and  grander  than  when  swaying  the  mighty  multitude. 

In  fact,  his  greatness  lay  largely  herein.  It  was  in  no 
small  degree  because  he  had  the  sjurit  which  led  him  to 
sit  and  pray,  holding  the  hand  of  a  poor  dying  orphan, 
that  he  was  able  to  sway  the  thousands.  Cold  intellect 
alone  would  never  have  made  him  the  great  preacher  of  the 
century.  Knowledge  puffeth  up  ;  love  buildeth  up. 

That  Mr.  Spurgeon,  while  providing  for  the  young,  did 
not  forget  the  old,  was  shown  by  the  Almshouses  for  the 
aged  and  needy  members  of  the  Tabernacle,  to  which  he 
gave  five  thousand  pounds  from  the  sum  presented  him  on 
his  silver  wedding,  and  which  have  been  removed  from 
their  old  location  and  rebuilt  near  the  Tabernacle  and 
increased  from  six  in  number  to  eleven. 

The  Orphanage,  the  Almshouses,  with  many  kindred 
enterprises  testify  to  the  humaneness  and  benevolence  of 
the  old  Puritan  doctrines;  he  that  loves  God  loves  his 
brother  also. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


AUTHORSHIP. 

IT  may  awaken  surprise  if  we  say  of  a  man,  who  was  one 
of  the  most  fruitful  and  widely  read  authors  in  history, 
that  he  was  only  incidentally  an  author.  He  was  first  of 
all  a  preacher  ;  he  was  an  author  because  he  was  a  preacher. 
Many  of  his  works  are  made  up  of  his  sermons,  either  pure 
and  simple,  or  in  some  other  form.  And  all  have  the 
same  aim  as  sermons ;  they  are  designed  to  lead  men  into 
juster  beliefs  and  higher  lives. 

The  epigram  of  Charles  James  Fox,  “  Does  the  speech 
read  well  ?  Then  it  was  not  a  good  speech,”  like  all  epi¬ 
grams,  needs  to  be  taken  with  a  grain  of  salt.  Fox  him¬ 
self,  Webster,  Choate,  read  well,  yet  the  speeches  were 
heard  with  enthusiastic  delight ;  and  we  may  add  Mr. 
Spurgeon  to  the  list. 

Of  course,  the  work  of  his  life  was  “  The  Metropolitan 
Tabernacle  Pulpit,”  made  up  of  the  weekly  issue  of  his  ser¬ 
mons,  beginning  with  January,  1855.  The  volume  of  the 
present  year  is  XXXVIII.  Up  to  the  present  date,  March, 
1892,  the  series  contains  two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
eighteen  sermons.  There  are  also  in  the  hands  of  the  pub¬ 
lishers,  Messrs.  Passmore  &  Alabaster,  a  thousand  or 
more  sermons  reported,  but  not  yet  published,  so  that  the 
series  can  be  continued  for  several  years,  if  the  public  de¬ 
mand  shall  exist  after  the  great  personality  has  ceased  as  a 
living  presence  from  among  us. 

176 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


177 


It  is  often  said  “No  one  reads  a  sermon,”  and  many 
persons  have  thought  that  the  power  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  ser¬ 
mons  lay  in  his  voice  and  in  his  personal  magnetism  alone. 
But  this  theory  is  set  at  naught  by  facts.  The  sermons, 
beginning  with  a  circulation  of  ten  thousand,  attained  to  a 
regular  circulation  of  twenty-five  thousand,  rising  on  some 
occasions  much  higher.  We  are  prone  to  think  of  a  pub¬ 
lished  sermon  as  the  ideal  of  dullness,  but  the  sermons  of 
Mr.  Spurgeon  carried  with  them,  on  the  printed  page, 
much  of  the  power  with  which  they  were  clothed,  as  they 
were  heard  in  the  Tabernacle.  In  the  words  of  the  Rt. 
Rev.  W.  Boyd  Carpenter,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Rippon : 

The  vast  congregation  which  gathered  at  the  Taber¬ 
nacle,  and  the  still  vaster  congregations  who,  in  every 
quarter  of  the  world,  were  readers  of  his  sermons,  are  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  industry  and  energy  which  kept  his  utterances 
fresh  and  crisp  for  more  than  thirty  years. — (“Contempo¬ 
rary  Review,”  March,  1892.) 

Of  the  popularity  and  power  of  the  sermons,  it  is  not  easy 
to  speak  adequately.  Fact  outstrips  what  seems  at  first  ex¬ 
travagance.  If  we  call  the  average  circulation  twenty-five 
thousand,  the  aggregate  circulation,  up  to  this  time,  cannot  be 
less  than  five  and  a  half  million.  Wherever  the  English  lan¬ 
guage  goes,  in  regions  where  men  have  not  heard  of  Glad¬ 
stone,  or  Beaconsfield,  or  Grant,  or  Harrison,  they  have  heard 
of  Spurgeon.  In  America,  and  in  all  the  English-speaking 
colonies,  the  sermons  have  attained  a  circulation  that  prob¬ 
ably  equals  that  of  the  original  edition.  If  the  copyright 
law  had  been  passed  forty  years  earlier,  there  is  no  know¬ 
ing  how  many  orphanages  Mr.  Spurgeon  might  have  built. 
The  sermons  have  been  translated  into  Dutch,  German, 
Welsh,  Italian,  French,  Swedish,  Danish,  Greek,  Spanish, 


178 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Gaelic,  Russian,  Lettish,  Servian,  Hungarian,  Maori, 
Arabic,  Telugu,  Urdu  (Hindoostani),  Syriac,  and  we  know 
not  what  beside.  To  how  many  thousands  on  thousands  of 
souls  these  leaves  have  been  for  healing,  eternity  alone  can 
tell. 

Also  ten  or  more  volumes  of  select  sermons  upon  special 
classes  of  topics  have  appeared,  as  “Soul-winning  Ser¬ 
mons,”  “Striking  Sermons,”  “Christmas  Sermons,”  “New 
Year  Sermons,”  “  Farm  Sermons,”  “  Types  and  Emblems,” 
“Trumpet  Calls,”  “Storm  Signals,”  “The  Present  Truth,” 
“  The  Royal  Wedding.”  There  have  also  been  published 
several  volumes  of  extracts  from  the  sermons :  “  Glean¬ 

ings  Among  Sheaves,”  and  others. 

Next  in  volume  to  “  The  Metropolitan  Tabernacle 
Pulpit,”  is  “  The  Sword  and  Trowel,  a  Record  of  Combat 
with  Sin  and  of  Labor  for  the  Lord  ”  (monthly),  which 
was  begun  in  1865,  and  of  which  twenty-seven  annual 
volumes  have  appeared.  Each  number  has  contained  one 
or  more  articles  from  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  every  number  has 
received  his  oversight.  It  has  been  devoted  largely  to 
spreading  before  the  church  the  work  done  by  the  Taber¬ 
nacle,  and  by  the  various  agencies  of  which  it  was  the 
center.  One  of  its  most  characteristic  features  was  the 
“  Department  of  Book  Notices,”  in  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  is 
all  himself.  His  notices  are  candid,  bold,  discriminating, 
always  unmistakable  for  approval  or  condemnation.  Some¬ 
times  they  are  sarcastic,  often  humorous ;  always  saying  a 
great  deal  in  a  few  words.  The  reader  can  but  wonder  how 
Mr.  Spurgeon  was  able  to  read  so  much,  notwithstanding 
the  many  burdens  resting  upon  him,  any  one  of  which 
would  have  engrossed  all  the  time  and  all  the  strength  even 
of  an  extraordinary  man. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


179 


On  this  point,  William  Wright,  D.  D.,  of  London,  Secre¬ 
tary  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  says,  in  a 
very  striking  article  in  “  The  Sunday  School  Times”  : 

He  was  acquainted  with  all  literature.  His  power  of 
reading  was  perhaps  never  equalled.  He  would  sit  down 
to  five  or  six  large  books,  and  master  them  at  one  sitting. 
He  sat  with  his  left  hand  on  the  left  side  of  the  book,  and, 
pushing  his  right  hand  up  the  page  on  the  right  side  of  the 
book  until  the  page  became  projected,  he  turned  it  over, 
and  proceeded  to  the  next  page.  He  took  in  the  contents 
almost  at  a  glance,  and  his  memory  never  failed  him  as  to 
what  he  read.  He  made  a  point  of  reading  half-a-dozen  of 
the  hardest  books  weekly,  as  lie  said  he  wished  to  rub  his 
mind  against  the  strongest;  and  there  was  no  skipping.  I 
often  tested  the  thoroughness  of  his  reading. 

“Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World”  reached  him 
and  me  about  the  same  time.  I  called  on  him  fresh  from 
a  study  of  the  book.  He  had  just  read  it,  with  four  or  five 
other  works,  on  that  day.  At  tea  we  began  to  discuss  the 
work.  A  third  party  disputed  his  recollection  of  certain 
points,  whereupon  Spurgeon  quoted  a  page,  to  show  that 
the  natural  and  spiritual  laws  were  declared  to  be  “  identical,” 
and  another  important  page  to  show  how  the  book  erred  by 
defect.  I  looked  over  the  page  again,  on  my  return  home, 
and  I  believe  he  scarcely  missed  a  word  in  his  repetition. 
His  power  of  reading  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  his  many 
talents. 

There  were  men  who,  up  to  the  last,  called  him  unedu¬ 
cated,  as  there  were  men  who  called  William  III.  a  “  Dutch 
boor,”  as  there  were  men  who  called  Abraham  Lincoln 
“  an  imbecile.”  Dr.  Wright  says : 

I  was  at  first  surprised  to  find  Mr.  Spurgeon  consulting 
both  the" Hebrew  and  Greek  texts.  “They  say,”  said  he, 
“that  I  am  ignorant  and  unlearned.  Well,  let  them  say, 
and  in  everything,  by  my  ignorance  and  by  my  learning, 
let  God  be  glorified.” 

Next  in  magnitude  and  in  the  labor  demanded  was 


180 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


“  The  Treasury  of  David,”  a 'commentary  upon  the  Psalms 
in  seven  large  volumes.  Though  costing  eight  shillings  a 
volume,  and  though  largely  addressing  itself  to  plain  people, 
ministers  and  laymen,  this  has  reached  a  circulation  of  oue 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  volumes,  besides  we  know  not 
how  many  copies  in  America.  This  book  was  a  work  of 
love  ;  he  delighted  in  the  Psalms.  During  twenty  years  he 
had  given  his  time  and  the  time  of  a  secretary  to  looking 
up  and  transcribing,  in  the  library  of  the  British  Museum, 
and  elsewhere,  every  passage,  from  writers  ancient  and 
modern,  which  could  illustrate  the  Psalms.  He  digested  all 
these,  made  them  his  own,  and  wove  them  together  with 
comments,  often  drawn  from  his  own  deep  spiritual  expe¬ 
rience.  When,  at  length,  the  work  was  closed,  it  was  with 
sincere  sorrow  that  he  took  his  leave  of  the  companion  of 
so  many  hours : 

“A  tinge  of  sadness  is  in  my  spirit  as  I  quit  ‘The 
Treasury  of  David,’  never  to  find  on  earth  a  richer  store¬ 
house,  though  the  whole  palace  of  revelation  is  open  to  me. 
Blessed  have  been  the  days  spent  in  meditating,  mourning, 
hoping,  believing,  and  exulting  with  David.” 

The  character  of  this  book,  its  compass  and  its  complete¬ 
ness,  illustrate  his  magnificent  genius  for  hard  work. 

Probably  the  work  which  surpassed  all  others  in  popu¬ 
larity  and  circulation  was  the  two  volumes,  “John  Plough¬ 
man’s  Talk  ”  and  “  John  Ploughman’s  Pictures  ” ;  or,  “  Plain 
Advice  for  Plain  People.”  Their  circulation  exceeded 
four  hundred  thousand.  We  do  not  know  where  in  the 
world  to  find  so  much  wisdom  expressed  with  such  wit. 
John  Ploughman  is  as  much  superior  to  “  Poor  Richard  ” 
as  the  character  of  Spurgeon  was  more  elevated  than  that 
of  Franklin.  The  ploughman,  in  his  smock  frock,  with  his 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


181 


whip  under  his  arm,  standing  by  his  horse’s  head,  talks  to 
his  neighbors  with  transparent  and  homely  simplicity  about 
frugality,  industry,  temperance,  debt,  marriage,  the  home, 
about  gossip,  the  ale  house,  about  God  and  the  soul.  Not 
a  few  conversions,  not  a  few  reformations  have  resulted 
from  John  Ploughman.  We  doubt  if  any  among  the  many 
works  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  will  have  a  longer  life. 

Closely  akin  to  John  Ploughman  in  its  spirit  is  ‘‘John 
Ploughman’s  Almanac,”  a  large  broadside,  adapted  to  be 
stuck  on  a  cottage  wall.  It  has  a  pithy  maxim  for  each 
day  in  the  year,  with  some  terse  counsel,  secular,  moral,  re¬ 
ligious,  all  illustrated  with  pictures  which  would  gain  a 
place  in  the  popular  heart. 

“  The  Salt-Cellars,”  in  two  volumes,  gives,  in  a  perma¬ 
nent  form,  the  proverbs  which  had  been  introduced  in 
John  Ploughman’s  Almanac  during  successive  years,  with 
homely  notes  upon  them.  The  author  says : 

“  The  placing  of  a  proverb  for  every  day  for  twenty 
years  has  cost  me  great  labor ;  and  I  feel  that  I  cannot 
afford  to  lose  the  large  collection  of  sentences  which  I  have 
thus  brought  together.” 

These  volumes,  opened  at  random,  show  page  after  page 
of  sharp,  quaint,  forcible  proverbs.  We  do  not  know 
where  to  begin  to  quote ;  we  should  still  less  know  where 
to  leave  off.  Wit  and  wisdom  are  on  every  page,  as, 
“  Don’t  sniff  at  a  bottle  which  had  gin  in  it  a  year  ago  ;  ” 
“  Every  pig  can  grunt ;  ”  “  He  who  is  short  of  grace  thinks 
sermons  long;”  “If  an  ass  goes  a-traveling,  he  won’t  come 
home  a  horse ;  ”  “  If  every  one  would  mend  one,  all 
would  be  mended ;  ”  “  If  every  fool  were  crowned,  we 
should  all  be  kings ;  ”  “  Buttons  all  right  arc  a  husband’s 
delight ;  ”  “  Be  clean  if  you  can’t  be  clever ;  ”  “A  tame 


182 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


tiger  is  still  a  tiger ;  ”  “A  handful  of  holy  life  is  worth  a 
ton  of  tall  talk.” 

Another  work  abounding  in  gathered  wit  and  wisdom 
was  issued  hy  him  under  the  title  of  “Smooth  Stones  from 
Ancient  Brooks.”  It  is  a  collection  of  sentences  from  the 
writings  of  Rev.  Thomas  Brooks,  a  Puritan  author,  of  the 
Seventeenth  Century,  pastor  of  St.  Mary’s  Church  in  Fish 
Street,  London. 

In  “  Spurgeon’s  Shilling  Series,”  the  author  speaks  in  a 
plain,  direct  tone,  on  most  important  themes.  It  includes 
“  The  Clew  of  the  Maze,”  “All  of  Grace,”  “According  to 
Promise,”  “A  Man  in  Christ,”  “The  Claims  of  God,” 
“  First  Things  First,”  “A  Catechism  with  Proofs.” 

Among  his  devotional  books  are,  “  The  Saint  and  his 
Saviour,”  his  first  published  volume. 1  “  Morning  by  Morn¬ 
ing,  and  Evening  by  Evening ;  or,  Daily  readings  for  the 
Family  Closet ;  ”  “  The  Interpreter ;  or,  Scripture  for 
Family  Worship  ;  ”  The  Golden  Alphabet  of  Praises  of 
Holy  Scripture ;  ”  “  The  Cheque  Book  of  the  Bank  of 
Faith,”  a  collection  of  God’s  promises  arranged  for  each 
day  ;  also  “  Sermons  in  Candles.” 

Probably  on  nothing  did  Mr.  Spurgeon  expend  more  brain 
and  heart  than  on  the  works  intended  for  his  students. 
“Lectures  to  My  Students”  are  filled  with  the  wisest  coun¬ 
sel  to  young  ministers,  often  lighted  up  with  wit,  and 
always  irradiated  with  piety.  He  deems  no  subject  too 
great  or  too  small,  if  it  may  profit  the  young  men.  From 
the  loftiest  themes,  he  goes  to  counsels  about  the  voice, 
about  gestures,  cautions  against  ungainliness. 


1  It  illustrates  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  modest  estimate  of  himself  that  he  sold  the 
copyright  of  this  book  for  £50,  though  £1,000  would  have  been  a  good  bargain 
for  the  publisher. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


183 


The  volume  on  “  Commenting  and  Commentaries  ”  em¬ 
braces  brief  notices  of  one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  different  commentators.  The  reading  of  these 
terse  annotations  makes  us  wonder  anew  how  the  author 
found  the  time  to  read  these  commentaries  enough  to  ena¬ 
ble  him  to  speak  of  their  merit  or  lack  of  merit.  He  had 
the  gift  of  making  minutes  do  the  work  of  hours.  The 
volume  opens  with  two  lectures  on  “Commentaries  and 
Commentating  ”  and  closes  with  an  address  on  “  Eccentric 
Preachers.” 

“  My  Sermon  Notes  ”  (four  volumes)  will  undoubtedly  be 
very  helpful,  if  they  do  not  tempt  young  ministers  to  rely  on 
Mr.  Spurgeon  instead  of  doing  their  own  work.  An  emi¬ 
nent  writer  pnblished  in  “The  National  Baptist”  an  article 
upon  “The  Evil  Influence  of  Good  Example,”  showing 
how  prone  men  are  to  carry  to  excess  their  imitation  of 
those  whom  they  admire.  A  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient. 

Mr.  Spurgeon’s  last  book,  “  Memories  of  Stambourne,” 
contains  recollections  of  the  little  village  in  Essex,  where, 
in  childhood,  he  spent  many  happy  days  with  his  grand¬ 
father.  In  the  preface  he  says : 

“  I  have  done  my  best  to  let  the  reader  see  that  even 
an  humble  village  has  its  annals,  and  that  these  may  be 
worthy  of  record.” 

But  it  is  with  sadness  that  one  reads  this  little  book.  He 
says : 

“  In  the  end  of  May,  1891,  I  suffered  from  the  virulent 
influenza  then  raging.  But  all  thought  T  had  recovered ; 
and  it  was  judged  wise  I  should  take  a  change  of  air.  I 
went,  for  a  few  days,  to  the  region  near  Stambourne, 
delighting  myself  in  what  I  call  ‘  my  grandfather’s  coun¬ 
try.’  .  .  .  But,  on  the  Thursday  of  the  week,  an  over-power- 

15 


184 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


ing  headache  came  on,  and  I  had  to  hurry  home  on  Friday 
to  go  to  that  chamber  wherein,  for  three  months,  I  suffered 
beyond  measure,  and  was  often  between  the  jaws  of  death. 
Now  that  I  trust  I  am  really  recovering,  I  amuse  myself 
with  arranging  what  had  been  previously  prepared,  and 
with  issuing  it  from  the  press.” 

Alas !  that  this  hope  was  vain ! 

In  addition  to  these  and  to  a  volume  of  “  Speeches  at 
Home  and  Abroad,”  there  are  numberless  tracts  and  short 
pieces,  among  which  his  “  Introduction  to  Norcott  on  Bap¬ 
tism  ”  should  not  be  forgotten. 

No  one  can  read  even  a  list  of  his  works  without  being 
impressed  with  the  fact  that,  abundant  as  were  his  resources, 
he  had  them  all  well  iu  hand,  and  amazed  at  the  amount 
he  accomplished.  And  the  amazement  grows  when  he  con¬ 
siders  that  this  work  was  done  in  such  unoccupied  moments 
as  were  left  him  by  the  pastorate  of  the  Tabernacle,  by 
“  the  care  of  all  the  churches,”  by  the  College  and  the 
Orphanage,  and  by  almost  daily  paroxysms  of  agony.  On 
almost  the  last  occasion  when  the  writer  heard  him  speak, 
in  his  address  to  the  London  Association,  October,  1886,  he 
said : 

“  By  three  o’clock  this  afternoon,  my  rheumatic  gout  will 
come  on  with  such  violence  that  I  shall  have  to  drop  every¬ 
thing  and  go  to  bed.” 

That  he  achieved  so  much  was  due  to  his  own  uncon¬ 
querable  will,  sustained  by  the  grace  of  God. 

It  is  perhaps  proper  to  say  a  word  of  the  relation  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon  to  Hymnology.  In  1866,  he  prepared  “Our 
Own  Hymn  Book,”  intended  especially  for  the  Tabernacle. 
Dr.  Burrage,  in  his  valuable  work  on  “Baptist  Hymn 
Writers,”  says : 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


185 


“  To  this  admirable  collection  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  own  con¬ 
tributions  were  fourteen  psalms  and  ten  hymns,  with  three 
which  he  had  altered.  Of  the  hymns,  a  favorite  is  that 
which  commences : 

“  Sweetly  the  holy  hymn 

Breaks  on  the  morning  air-, 

Before  the  world  with  smoke  is  dim, 

We  meet  to  offer  prayer.” 

But  the  hymn  by  Mr.  Spurgeon,  which  he  himself  liked 
best,  and  which  has  become  best  known,  is  the  following : 

“  The  Holy  Ghost  is  here 

Where  saints  in  prayer  agree; 

As  Jesus’  parting  gift,  he’s  near 
Each  pleading  company.” 


CHAPTER  XII. 


MR.  SPURGEON  AS  I  SAW  HIM. 

W.  E.  HATCHER,  D.  D.1 

FREQUENTLY,  when  I  was  with  Mr.  Spurgeon,  it  in¬ 
terested  me  greatly  to  observe  with  what  reverence  and 
delicacy  he  was  always  treated.  There  was  nothing  of  the 
noisy  character  of  an  ovation.  Every  one  seemed  subdued  by 
his  presence  and  accorded  him  a  respect  that  was  almost  sug¬ 
gestive  of  worship.  I  sat  with  him  in  a  carriage  one  Sun¬ 
day,  and  while  we  rolled  over  Clapham  Road,  the  swarms 
of  his  people,  on  the  way,  seemed  instinctively  to  pause,  and 
to  be  made  inexpressibly  happy  by  the  smallest  token  of 
his  recognition.  With  what  tender  grace  he  greeted  them 
I  could  never  forget.  I  accompanied  him  in  some  of  his 
journeys,  and  entered  with  him  into  a  number  of  private 
homes.  Everywhere  he  received  the  most  reverential  con¬ 
sideration.  Indeed,  I  had  a  fancy  at  times  that  he  was  un¬ 
consciously  oppressed  by  these  attentions.  He  had  the 
simplicity  of  a  child,  and  did  not  ask  to  be  hailed  as  great. 

With  no  undue  familiarity  and  yet  in  a  candid,  outright 
way,  I  made  quite  free  with  him,  took  issue  with  him,  re¬ 
belled  against  his  decisions,  made  such  retorts  as  I  could  to 
his  humorous  hits,  and  treated  him  as  I  would  have  treated 
many  of  my  less  distinguished  friends.  He  not  only  took 

1  Rev.  Dr.  Hatcher,  the  eminent  pastor  of  Grace  Baptist  Church,  Richmond, 
Virginia,  during  his  visit  to  England  in  1888,  was  favored  with  unusual  oppor¬ 
tunities  of  seeing  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and,  at  the  request  of  the  author,  has  kindly 
written  this  chapter  of  reminiscences. 

186 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


187 


it  in  good  part,  but  seemed  to  relish  it.  He  had  my  fullest 
love,  and  knew  that  I  could  not  be  intentionally  offensive, 
and  I  drifted  to  the  conclusion  that  he  gave  me  so  much  of 
his  time,  in  part  at  least,  because  he  liked  to  have  a  man 
who  trQated  him  like  common  folk. 

Almost  every  stranger  who  approached  him  was  eager  to 
testify  in  the  most  grateful  terms  to  the  good  that  he  had  re¬ 
ceived  from  his  ministry.  Quite  often  I  went  into  his 
office,  in  the  rear  of  his  pulpit,  after  the  services  in  the 
Tabernacle,  when  he  would  admit  strangers.  What  multi¬ 
tudes  swarmed  into  the  halls  and  passages,  and  waited  for 
the  honor  of  grasping  him  by  the  hand  !  It  was  a  long  line 
that  filed  by  him  twice  on  every  Sunday.  With  some  it 
was  a  moment  of  undisguised  pride  and  honor  long  coveted  ; 
they  expressed  this  happiness  and  moved  on.  One  elegant 
and  attractive  gentleman,  with  a  tear  in  his  voice,  told  him 
how  the  last  days  of  his  mother  had  been  gladdened  by 
reading  his  sermons.  Another,  in  a  single  sentence,  ex¬ 
pressed  his  everlasting  obligation  for  having  been  helped 
in  finding  Christ  by  one  of  his  sermons. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  worked  all  the  time  under  weights.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  he  had  one  moment  of  absolute  freedom 
from  pain  for  years  of  his  later  life. 

Rheumatic  gout  was  the  supreme  affliction  of  his  life.  I 
suppose  it  grew  worse  and  worse.  I  remember,  with  un¬ 
dimmed  vividness,  the  first  Sunday  morning  in  August, 
1888,  on  which  I  entered  the  Tabernacle.  I  had  an  almost 
childish  curiosity  to  see  him.  My  first  impressions  were 
saddened  by  the  marks  of  suffering  on  his  face,  and  by  the 
confessions  of  weakness  and  pain  which  were  heard  in  his 
prayers.  Afterward,  among  many  other  things  which  he 
told  me,  he  said  that  he  suffered  sorely  from  the  swellings 


188 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


of  his  feet  and  hands.  Upon  leaving  his  bed  in  the  morn¬ 
ing  he  would  have  much  difficulty  in  using  his  feet.  They 
would  be  much  swollen  and  acutely  sensitive  to  touch,  and 
he  had  to  rub  and  use  them  by  degrees  until  he  could 
stand  upon  them.  As  a  fact  his  gait  was  slow  and  un¬ 
steady,  and  not  unfrequently  he  had  falls  that  were  pain¬ 
ful  and  dangerous. 

He  knew  not  how  deeply  he  touched  my  heart  as  he 
pictured  to  me  the  suffering  of  his  right  hand.  Often 
when  he  waked  in  the  morning,  his  right  hand  was  as  rig¬ 
idly  locked  as  if  it  had  been  petrified.  Not  a  joint  could 
be  unbent  by  the  force  of  its  own  muscles.  He  had  to  take 
it  finger  by  finger,  and  joint  by  joint,  and  so  work  and 
loosen  its  machinery  as  to  restore  it  to  action.  The  mem¬ 
ory  of  that  hand  may  well  stimulate  suffering  saints  not  to 
faint  in  their  toils. 

On  account  of  his  rheumatic  ailments,  he  had  to  be 
exceedingly  watchful  of  his  health.  He  was  liable  to  be 
injured  by  bad  air  or  improper  food.  To  get  rid  of  the 
London  damps  and  fogs,  he  went  every  fall  for  several 
months  to  Southern  France.  He  was  a  strict  vegetarian. 
One  Sunday,  I  dined  with  him  at  the  home  of  one  of  his 
members.  He  sat  next  to  the  lady  of  the  house.  She  pre¬ 
sided  over  a  dish  of  pheasants,  and  during  the  meal  I  dis¬ 
covered  a  small  slice  on  his  plate.  Without  looking  his 
way,  I  remarked  that,  of  all  the  people  on  earth,  the 
Americans  must  be  the  most  stupid. 

“  Why  so,  my  brother  ?  ” 

“  Why,  they  labor  under  the  hallucination  that  a  pheas¬ 
ant  does  not  belong  to  the  vegetable  kingdom ;  but,  as  in 
this  country,  vegetarians  eat  pheasants,  my  people  are 
scientifically  belated.” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


189 


“  You  Americans  are  generally  right ;  but  this  good  lady 
laid  the  pheasant  on  my  plate,  and  I  really  believe  it  is  the 
first  taste  of  meat  I  have  had  for  two  years.”  He  had  to 
guard  carefully  against  anything  that  would  tend  to  fatten 
him  and  he  used  “  saccharine  ”  instead  of  sugar  for  sweet¬ 
ening  his  coffee.  His  pleasures  in  eating  were  narrowly 
limited. 

There  was  nothing  striking  in  his  physique  except  his 
head.  He  was  about  five  feet  eight  inches  in  height, 
inclined  to  superfluous  flesh  and  by  no  means  graceful. 
Taking  tea  with  him  once,  I  congratulated  him  upon  find¬ 
ing  Mrs.  Spurgeon  so  much  more  robust  than  I  had  feared. 
His  reply  was : 

“Ah,  my  poor  wife  is  all  lilies  and  no  roses.”  Then  he 
remarked  that  there  was  one  point  in  providence  upon  which 
he  could  get  no  light,  that  was  that  the  Lord  had  created 
him  so  homely.  He  said  that  his  father  was  accounted  a 
handsome  man,  and  as  for  his  grandfather,  he  stood  “  a  man 
among  men.” 

His  mind  was  self-poised  and  thoroughly  mastered  in  all 
its  forces.  Every  power  seemed  to  be  fully  equipped  and 
always  on  duty.  His  mind  never  halted  under  any  new 
pressure.  In  the  Sunday  procession  which  passed  by  to  get 
his  handshake,  one  of  the  names  presented  was  that  of 
Dr.  J.  R.  Kendrick.  Instantly  his  face  brightened : 

“  Have  I  the  honor  of  shaking  the  hand  of  the  Dr. 
Kendrick  who  gave  us  the  charming  biography  of  the  last 
Mrs.  Judson  ?  ” 

The  doctor  frankly  admitted  that  he  was  not  the  author, 
but  his  brother,  Dr.  A.  C.  Kendrick,  and  received  many 
words  of  fraternal  compliment  and  affection. 

A  friend  in  New  York  had  kindly  sent  Mr.  Spurgeon  a 


190 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


note  that  I  would  be  in  London  during  the  summer. 
Several  brethren  were  with  me  as,  one  Sunday  morning,  I 
approached  him  in  the  midst  of  the  long  procession.  The 
brother  immediately  in  front  of  me  called  my  name. 
Instantly  he  said : 

“  I  have  read  about  you,  and  I  would  like  to  know  you.” 
He  never  suffered  for  lack  of  a  name  or  of  a  word. 

The  goodness  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  incomparably  charm¬ 
ing.  He  never  could  have  been  the  preacher  that  he  was 
if  he  had  not  been  so  spotless,  simple-minded,  and  trans¬ 
parent.  He  had  gathered  no  trappings  of  earthly  glory. 
He  hated  sham  with  infinite  loathing,  and  loved  the  truth 
as  the  eye  loves  light.  An  atmosphere  of  devoutness  encir¬ 
cled  him. 

A  party  of  American  gentlemen  spent  the  day  with  him 
at  Westwood.  They  saw  him  in  his  freest  and  happiest 
mood,  and  heard  him  talk  for  hours  about  the  “  Down 
Grade  ”  contest,  then  at  the  fiercest.  That  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  a  great  conflict,  he  well  knew,  and  that  a  number 
of  his  friends  were  seeking  to  play  a  double  part  was  more 
than  he  could  hide  from  himself.  Whatever  the  right  or 
wrong  of  the  controversy,  he  suffered  some  grievous  wrongs. 
It  was  a  thrilling  experience  to  hear  him  discuss  the  situa¬ 
tion  in  his  own  impassioned  way.  He  Avas  no  velvet-fin¬ 
gered  fighter  for  his  Lord.  With  his  right  hand,  he  struck 
the  opposition  many  terrific  blows,  and  his  defense  of  Avhat 
he  believed  to  be  the  truth  was  the  soul  of  eloquence. 

But  in  all  the  glow  of  his  passion  and  the  Adgor  of  his 
utterance  there  Avas  no  venom ;  he  Avas  full  of  love  and  had 
bitterness  for  none.  The  spirit  Avhich  he  displayed  Avas  so 
lofty,  magnanimous,  Christ  like,  that  Avhen  the  Americans, 
at  six  o’clock,  left  Westwood,  their  only  topic  was  Mr. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


191 


Spurgeon’s  ineffable  gentleness  and  nobility.  They  knew 
before  that  he  was  great,  but  not  until  then  how  childlike 
and  good  be  was. 

In  many  meetings  and  often  extended  interviews,  I  never 
detected  anything  which  suggested  the  slightest  conscious¬ 
ness  of  greatness,  or  the  least  disposition  to  disparage  others. 
Before  the  Lord,  he  was  as  a  little  child,  trembling  with 
weakness  and  full  of  praise ;  before  men  he  was  ready  to 
help  the  weakest  and  to  love  those  who  despitefully  used 
him.  His  nature  was  imperial ;  he  commanded  by  a  right 
which  few  could  question.  He  had  the  magnetism  to  attract, 
the  wisdom  to  understand,  the  tact  to  combine,  and  the  force 
to  impel  them. 

Those  who  knew  Mr.  Spurgeon  most  intimately  regret 
that  so  much  has  been  said  about  his  position  on  the  “  Com¬ 
munion  Question.”  It  can  hardly  be  truthfully  maintained 
that  lie  laid  any  position  on  that  subject,  in  its  controversial 
aspects.  His  mind  was  so  deeply  absorbed  in  other  views 
of  truth,  that  he  never  gave  a  critical  study  to  the  “  Com¬ 
munion  Controversy.”  At  least,  he  never  made  any  deliver¬ 
ances  on  this  subject  that  could  be  accepted  as  authoritative. 

Since  his  death,  earnest  efforts  have  been  made  to  use 
him  to  the  injury  of  American  Baptists.  I  know  that  this 
would  not  be  in  harmony  with  his  own  spirit. 

During  my  stay  in  London,  I  had  many  frank  and  unre¬ 
strained  conversations  with  him.  On  two  occasions  we 
talked  quite  freely  with  reference  to  the  “  Communion  Ques¬ 
tion.”  As  these  interviews  were  in  no  sense  confidential,  I 
will  carefully  reproduce,  in  substance,  what  he  said. 

The  first  conversation  took  place  in  his  study  at  West- 
wood,  where,  on  August  11,  1888,  with  Dr.  Henry  Mc¬ 
Donald,  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  Rev.  L.  R.  Thornhill,  of 


192 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Manchester,  Virginia,  I  spent  five  hours  in  his  company. 
He  seemed  to  be  unusually  free  from  pain,  and  displayed 
more  buoyancy  and  freshness  than  usual.  The  “  Communion 
Question  ”  was  brought  up  by  the  remark  of  one  of  us  that, 
at  the  administration  of  the  Lord’s  Supper  a  few  nights 
before  at  the  Tabernacle,  he  gave  no  invitation  to  outsiders 
of  any  name.  He  replied  that  that  was  true  at  that  time, 
but  that  at  other  times  he  did  give  invitations,  which 
included  some  who  were  not  Baptists.  One  of  us  also 
expressed  regret  that  the  English  and  American  Baptists 
were  not  in  harmony  on  this  question  ;  and  he  was  asked 
to  give  his  reasons  for  inviting  those  whom  he  regarded  as 
unbaptized  to  the  Lord’s  Table.  He  understood  thoroughly 
that  the  request  was  not  made  in  the  spirit  of  contention, 
but  with  a  sincere  desire  to  understand  his  views  as  well  as 
his  practice. 

It  would  not  be  possible  for  me  to  forget  his  answer,  for 
it  broke  upon  me  as  something  quite  novel  in  the  history 
of  the  controverted  question.  He  said  that  he  gave  the 
invitation  “very  largely  as  a  matter  of  hospitality He 
must  have  observed  the  surprise  with  which  this  statement 
was  received,  for  he  made  haste  to  explain  what  he  meant. 
He  said  that  many  strangers  attended  the  Tabernacle,  and, 
as  many  of  them  were  far  away  from  home,  he  felt  that  it 
was  hospitable  on  his  part  to  invite  them  to  the  Supper. 
The  impression  left  upon  me  by  bis  remark  was  about  the 
same  as  if  he  had  said,  that,  if  one  were  at  his  house  when 
the  dinner  bell  rang,  he  would  feel  it  incumbent  on  him  to 
invite  the  visitor  to  his  table,  but  that  he  was  not  keeping 
an  open  house. 

He  was  also  quite  particular  in  explaining  the  regulations 
which  his  church  had  adopted  with  reference  to  outside 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


193 


persons  coming  to  the  Lord’s  Table.  No  one  could  go  to 
the  Table  without  a  ticket.  If  persons  came  more  than  once, 
they  were  asked  if  they  did  not  wish  to  be  introduced  to 
the  pastor.  At  their  third  coming,  if  they  were  not  willing 
to  join  the  church,  they  were  urged  to  seek  membership 
elsewhere. 

He  added  with  evident  zest  that  often  those  who  came  to 
the  Lord’s  Table  gladly  accepted  an  introduction  to 
him,  and  that,  in  very  many  cases,  after  talking  with  them 
on  baptism,  lie  had  the  pleasure  of  baptizing  them. 

Nothing  was  more  apparent  in  this  conversation  than  his 
intense  belief  in  immersion  as  alone  constituting  Christian 
baptism.  Indeed,  I  have  not  heard  any  man  talk,  who  im¬ 
pressed  me  as  being  a  more  sincere  and  uncompromising 
believer  in  immersion.  Ministers  and  others  who  are  quick 
to  use  him  for  striking  the  Baptists  on  the  “  Communion  Ques¬ 
tion  ”  ought  to  be  candid  enough  to  let  people  know  where  he 
stood  on  the  subject  of  baptism. 

Mr.  Spurgeon’s  church  does  not  admit  any  members  who 
have  not  been  immersed.  It  is  for  people  who  quote  him 
to  say  whether  there  is  any  more  bigotry  in  shutting  out  the 
unbaptized  from  the  Lord’s  Table  than  there  is  in  denying 
them  membership  in  our  churches. 

Mr.  Spurgeon’s  “  hospitality  ”  argument  must  strike  others 
as  it  did  those  of  us  present  on  the  occasion,  as  utterly 
unsatisfactory.  It  was  simply  a  sentimental  prompting,  and 
did  not  really  touch  the  great  questions  which  cluster  around 
the  Lord’s  Supper.  It  also  showed  that  he  utterly  ignored 
the  popular  grounds  upon  which  “  Open  Communion  ”  is 
practiced. 

In  the  following  October,  being  again  in  London,  I  was 
invited  to  accompany  Mr.  Spurgeon  on  a  visit  to  Leyton- 


194 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


stone,  where  he  dedicated  a  new  house  of  worship,  and  near 
which  we  spent  the  night  together.  Except  when  asleep, 
we  were  constantly  together  for  over  twenty-four  hours,  and 
during  much  of  that  time  no  other  persons  were  present. 
It  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  drawing  him  out  on  various 
subjects  by  many  candid  questions,  every  one  of  which  he 
answered  with  childlike  simplicity  and  courtesy.  While 
traveling  on  the  train,  I  somewhat  playfully  expressed  my 
wish  to  see  some  strict,  well-rounded  Baptists  before  I  left 
England,  and  asked  him  if  there  were  any  Baptists  of  that 
type  in  London.  He  quickly  replied : 

“  Why,  yes,  a  multitude  of  them.” 

When  I  inquired  further,  if  they  had  any  churches  of 
their  own,  he  said  : 

“  I  suppose  that  they  have  at  least  one  hundred  churches 
in  this  city,”  adding,  that  he  was  constrained  to  say  that 
many  of  them  were  not  very  progressive,  but  that  they  were 
composed  of  really  good  people. 

He  took  evident  pleasure  in  giving  me  such  instructions 
as  would  enable  me  to  find  some  of  the  leading  “  Close  Com¬ 
munion  ”  Baptists  of  London.  Some  of  these  brethren  I  had 
the  honor  of  meeting,  and  found  them  to  be  among  the 
noblest  of  God’s  people.  They  spoke  in  the  highest  terms 
of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  said  that  in  his  heart  he  was  really 
with  them.  Dr.  Edward  Parker,  President  of  the  Man¬ 
chester  Baptist  College,  when  in  America  in  1889,  said  that 
Mr.  Spurgeon  was  hardly  looked  upon  in  England  as  an 
“Open  Communionist.”  Mr.  Spurgeon  said  of  himself: 

“As  compared  with  the  bulk  of  English  Baptists,  I  am  a 
‘  Strict  Communionist,’  as  my  church  fellowship  is  strictly 
of  the  baptized.” 

During  the  conversation,  on  our  way  to  Leytonstone,  I 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


195 


referred  to  the  report  that  he  had  spoken  bitterly  against 
the  “  Close  Communion  ”  Baptists  of  America.  He  saidthat 
he  was  aware  that  such  an  evil  report  had  been  put  in  cir¬ 
culation  against  him,  and  declared  that  it  was  utterly  im¬ 
possible  for  him  ever  to  have  said  any  such  thing.  He 
admitted  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  remember  every¬ 
thing  that  he  had  ever  said,  but  added  that  he  knew  what 
was  in  his  heart,  and  that  there  was  nothing  there  that  would 
prompt  such  harsh  criticisms  against  any.  He  was  evidently 
pained  beyond  measure  that  his  American  brethren  should 
have  been  wouuded  by  a  misrepresentation  so  willful  and 
causeless. 

“  I  have,”  he  said,  “  not  one  word  of  unfriendly  criticism 
to  utter  against  my  Baptist  brethren  beyond  the  Atlantic. 

...  If  I  were  to  come  to  America  to  live,  I  would  join  a 
‘Close  Communion’  church,  and  conform  myself  to  its 
practices  in  regard  to  the  Lord’s  Supper.” 

He  said  that  it  was  impossible  for  an  outsider  fully  to 
understand  the  Baptist  situation  in  England.  Even  the  little 
that  I  saw  and  heard  convinced  me  that  American  Baptists 
need  to  exercise  charity  and  forbearance  toward  their  Eng¬ 
lish  brethren.  They  have  persecutions  and  complications  to 
which  we  are  strangers ;  if  they  do  not  hold  all  of  the  dis¬ 
tinctive  views  for  which  we  stand,  we  ought,  at  least,  to 
rejoice  for  such  testimony  in  favor  of  the  truth  as  they  are 
so  nobly  bearing. 


10 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


mr.  spurgeon’s  jubilee. 


FTEN  the  Lord  permits  his  servants  to  spend  a  lifetime 


V/  of  labor  seeing  little  of  reward  or  encouragement, 
upheld  only  by  the  word  and  promise  of  Jehovah.  So  he 
dealt  with  Mackay  of  Uganda,  and  with  other  holy  men 
who  “  died  in  faith,  not  having  received  the  promises,  but 
having  seen  them  afar  off.”  But  sometimes  he  permits  his 
servants  to  drink  of  the  brook  in  the  way,  to  see  of  the 
desire  of  their  souls,  to  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord  in  the 
land  of  the  living.  This  joyous  experience  the  Lord 
granted  in  rich  measure  to  his  servant,  Mr.  Spurgeon. 

Thursday,  June  19,  1884,  the  fiftieth  birthday  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon,  was  celebrated  by  the  church  and  by  his  many 
friends,  as  his  Jubilee.  Unable  to  crowd  into  a  single  day 
the  expression  of  their  joy  and  affection,  they  began  the 
service  on  Wednesday  evening.  Perhaps  we  cannot  better 
introduce  the  story  of  these  two  days  than  from  the  “  Pall 
Mall  Gazette  ”  of  June  19  : 

“  There  is  an  Essex  bumpkin,”  once  remarked  one  of  the 
most  eminent  of  our  men  of  letters,  who  could  certainly 
never  be  accused  of  any  theological  sympathy  with  the 
pastor  of  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle,  “  who  came  up  from 
the  country  thirty  years  ago,  and  by  his  own  single,  unaided 
energy  has  done  more  for  the  civilization  and  Christianization 
of  Southern  London  than  all  the  archbishops  and  bishops 
of  the  Establishment.”  It  is  no  common  work  that  elicited 
such  an  encomium,  nor  is  it  a  common  man  whose  fiftieth 
birthday  is  celebrated  this  week  as  a  kind  of  religious  jubilee. 

The  most  surprising  thing  to  most  people  will  be  the 


196 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


197 


discovery  that  Mr.  Spurgeon  is  only  fifty  years  old.  He  has 
been  so  constantly  before  the  public  for  so  many  years  that 
the  first  impression  on  most  minds  on  hearing  of  his  jubilee 
is  that  it  is  a  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  ministry, 
not  the  fiftieth  of  his  life.  But  Mr.  Spurgeon  is  in  reality 
only  fifty  years  old,  although  for  thirty  years  he  has  been 
one  of  the  best  known  men  of  the  time.  At  first,  he  was  a 
curiosity,  then  a  notoriety,  but  he  has  long  since  been  recog¬ 
nized  as  one  of  the  first  celebrities  of  his  day. 

His  position  is  absolutely  unique.  Of  all  the  ministers, 
Established  or  Non-established,  in  the  metropolis,  whose 
names  were  familiar  when  Mr.  Spurgeon  came  up  from  the 
country,  not  one  now  survives,  and  there  is  at  the  present 
day  no  man  who,  whether  for  universal  popularity  or  solid 
work,  can  hold  a  candle  to  the  “  Essex  bumpkin.”  Seldom 
has  any  life  more  remarkably  successful  been  lived  for  thirty 
years  before  the  eyes  of  all  men,  with  such  uninterrupted 
good  fortune.  Other  men  have  had  vicissitudes,  reverses, 
disasters.  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  only  vicissitudes  have  arisen  from 
his  continually  increasing  influence.  He  has  had  anxiety, 
no  doubt,  as  other  men ;  but  it  has  only  been  the  anxiety  of 
growth,  never  the  misery  of  decline.  His  church  has 
increased  and  multiplied,  and  institution  after  institution 
has  grown  up  under  its  fertilizing  shade ;  one  enterprise  after 
another  has  demanded  his  services,  and  nothing  has  failed. 
Everything,  whether  it  be  an  orphanage  or  a  magazine,  a 
tabernacle  or  a  college,  has  prospered  under  his  hands.  The 
real  Bishop  of  South  London,  he  is  also  one  of  the  most 
voluminous  and  popular  authors  of  our  time  ;  the  head  of  a 
College  which  has  sent  out  five  hundred  students  into  the  min¬ 
istry  ;  the  founder  and  maintainerof  an  Orphanage  in  which 
four  hundred  orphans  find  a  comfortable  home,  the  director 
of  a  Colportage  Association,  the  Editor  of  a  magazine,  and 
the  Presiding  Engineer  of  the  pent-up  energies  of  a  church 
of  five  thousand  members.  Add  to  this  a  personal  popu¬ 
larity  so  great  as  only  to  be  measured  by  the  virulence  of 
the  abuse  over  which  it  has  triumphed,  and  we  need  no 
other  explanation  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the  jubilee  which  is 
celebrated  to-day. 

In  1853,  when  he  came  to  London,  the  London  Baptist 
Association  had  thirty-two  churches,  with  four  thousand 


108 


LIFE  OF  SPUE O EON. 


one  hundred  and  ten  members ;  there  were  in  England  one 
thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  Baptist  churches,  with 
one  hundred  and  six  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  members.  In  1884,  there  were  in  the  Metropolitan 
Association,  which,  as  we  understand  it,  corresponds  to  the 
London,  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  churches,  with  two 
hundred  and  eighty-one  chapels,  and  forty-six  thousand  four 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  members;  and  in  England  at 
large,  there  were  two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-six 
churches,  with  two  hundred  and  nineteen  thousand  four 
hundred  and  fourteen  members.  It  is  entirely  safe  to  say 
that  this  large  progress  had  been  due,  in  great  measure,  to 
the  impulse  which  the  denomination  had  received  from  the 
labors  and  from  the  success  of  Mr.  Spurgeon. 

Nor  was  it  alone  upon  his  public  labors  that  the  blessing 
of  God  rested.  God’s  smile  was  no  less  upon  his  home. 
His  marriage,  to  which  we  have  already  referred,  proved 
the  source  of  unmeasured  blessing  to  him  and  to  all  who 
were  brought  under  his  far-reaching  influence.  Rarely  has 
a  wife  more  amply  realized  the  almost  inspired  ideal. 

A  being  breathing  thoughtful  breath, 

A  traveler  between  life  and  death  ; 

The  reason  firm,  the  temperate  will, 

Endurance,  foresight,  strength,  and  skill : 

A  perfect  woman,  nobly  planned. 

To  warn,  to  comfort,  and  command  ; 

And  yet  a  Spirit  still,  and  bright 
With  something  of  an  angel  light. 

The  fact  that  Mrs.  Spurgeon  still  survives  forbids  us  to 
speak,  as  we  gladly  would  of  her  graces  of  character,  of 
her  womanly  gentleness,  of  her  divine  affection,  of  all  the 
high  qualities  which  made  her  his  counterpart  and  helper. 
The  only  shadow  that  rested  upon  his  home  was  the  extreme 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


199 


and  prolonged  physical  feebleness  of  Mrs.  Spurgeon.  But, 
in  answer  to  earnest  prayer,  offered  at  his  especial  request, 
her  suffering  has  been  for  some  years  much  alleviated,  and 
she  was  able,  to  the  surprise  and  joy  of  her  many  friends,  to 
be  present  at  the  Jubilee. 

Mr.  Spurgeon’s  twin  sons,  Charles  and  Thomas,  born  in 
1856,  were  both  baptized  in  youth,  upon  the  same  day,  and 
both  devoted  themselves  to  the  ministry.  Charles  became 
the  successful  pastor  of  the  Church  in  Greenwich,  London. 
Thomas,  who  is  far  from  rugged  in  constitution,  is  unable 
to  endure  the  fog  and  dampness  of  London,  and  has  resided 
for  many  years  at  the  antipodes.  He  is  now  laboring  most 
efficiently  in  New  Zealand,  and  has  been  able  only  occa¬ 
sionally  to  •make  a  brief  visit  home,  though  soon  compelled 
to  return  to  his  distant  field. 

Years  before,  in  compliance  with  the  earnest  suggestion 
of  Mr.  Spurgeon,  who  was  oppressed  with  the  increasing 
burden  of  care  and  labor  which  'attended  upon  enlarging 
success,  the  church  had  called  as  co-pastor,  his  brother, 
Rev.  James  Archer  Spurgeon,  who  devoted  his  great  execu¬ 
tive  ability  to  the  management  of  the  business  of  the  Tab¬ 
ernacle  and  of  the  College,  and  who,  in  the  occasional 
absences  of  the  pastor,  filled  the  pulpit  very  acceptably, 
affording  thus  to  the  older  brother  a  welcome  and  much 
needed  relief. 

On  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  the  day  before  the  Jubi¬ 
lee,  the  Tabernacle  was  crowded  almost  to  suffocation. 
When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spurgeon  came  upon  the  platform 
they  were  greeted  with  irrepressible  enthusiasm,  the  rare 
presence  of  Mrs.  Spurgeon  giving  an  added  joy  to  the  even¬ 
ing.  The  immense  audience  rose  to  their  feet  in  reverence, 
affection,  and  welcome.  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  also  accom- 


200 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


panied  by  liis  venerable  father,  Rev.  John  Spurgeon,  by  his 
brother  and  co-pastor,  Rev.  James  A.  Spurgeon,  and  by  his 
son,  Rev.  Charles  Spurgeon.  At  the  request  of  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon,  two  brethren  representing  the  deacons  and  the  elders 
offered  prayer  for  the  divine  blessing  on  all  the  exercises  of 
the  two  days. 

As  Mr.  Spurgeon  arose,  he  was  greeted  with  renewed  ap¬ 
plause.  Speaking  with  deep  feeling,  in  his  own  homely  and 
familiar  and,  at  times,  humorous  way,  he  said : 

“  I  feel  overwhelmed  with  gratitude  to  you,  and  because 
of  you  to  God.  I  cannot  speak  much,  especially  after  the 
kind  things  which  many  of  you  have  said  to  me.  I  have 
much  to  do  not  to  cry ;  indeed,  I  have  had  a  little  distilla¬ 
tion  of  the  eyes  quietly,  but  I  try  to  keep  myself  all  right.” 

He  then  expressly  referred  all  the  successes  at  the  Taber¬ 
nacle  to  “  the  glorious  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.”  He  utterly 
disclaimed  all  credit,  to  himself  for  “  the  great  and  long  con¬ 
tinued  success.”  “  Our  American  friends  are  generally  very 
cute  .judges.  They  say,  over  and  over  again,  ‘Why,  he  is 
no  orator !  W e  have  scores  of  better  preachers  than  Mr. 
Spurgeon  in  America ;  but  he  preaches  the  gospel  as  some 
of  our  celebrated  men  do  not  preach  it.’  I  have  tried  to 
saturate  our  dear  friends  with  the  doctrines  of  grace.  I 
defy  the  devil  himself  to  get  that  out  of  you,  if  God,  the 
Holy  Spirit,  once  puts  it  into  you. 

“  Death  to  fine  preaching  ;  there  is  no  good  in  it.  All 
the  glory  of  words  and  the  wisdom  of  men  will  certainly 
come  to  naught.  But  the  simple  testimony  of  the  good  will 
of  God  to  men  and  of  his  sovereign  choice  of  his  own  people, 
will  stand  the  test,  not  only  of  the  few  years  during  which 
I  have" preached  it,  but  of  all  the  ages  of  this  world  till 
Christ  shall  come. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


201 


“  I  do  not  believe  that  the  dry  dead  doctrine  of  some  men 
could  ever  have  evoked  such  sympathy  in  men’s  hearts  as  my 
gospel  has  aroused  in  yours.  ...  I  cannot  see  anything  about 
myself  that  you  should  love  me.  I  would  not  go  across  the 
street  to  hear  myself  preach.  But  I  dare  not  say  more  upon 
that  point,  because  my  wife  is  here.  It  is  the  only  point 
upon  which  we  decidedly  differ.  I  thank  you  with  all  my 
heart  for  your  generous  esteem.” 

Mr.  J.  W.  Harrald,  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  private  secretary, 
read  a  list  of  institutions,  sixty-six  in  number,  centering 
about  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  then  called  on  Mr.  Moody,  thanking  God 
for  “  raising  him  up  and  sending  him  to  England  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  great  numbers  with  such  plainness  and  power.” 

Mr.  Moody,  who  was  deeply  moved,  spoke  of  the  great 
debt  he  owed  Mr.  Spurgeon. 

“While  I  was  here,  I  followed  Mr.  Spurgeon  everywhere. 
When  people  at  home  asked  me  if  I  had  gone  to  this  and 
that  cathedral,  I  had  to  say  ‘  no.’  But  I  can  tell  them  some¬ 
thing  about  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  meetings.” 

Deacon  D.  W.  Carr  read  an  elaborate  address  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon  on  behalf  of  the  church.  Mr.  Spurgeon  said  : 

“  It  is  a  great  mercy  I  am  not  expected  to  speak  after 
that.” 

The  pastor  then  introduced  his  venerable  father,  Rev. 
John  Spurgeon,  seventy-three  years  of  age,  who  said : 

“  God’s  love  has  made  me  happy ;  and  he  has  indeed 
been  embodied  love  to  raise  up  two  such  sons  as  I  have.  God 
bless  this  church,  the  Orphanage,  the  College,  and  all  the 
institutions.” 

“  I  did  not  originally  choose  him  as  my  father,”  Mr. 
Spurgeon  said,  “  but  if  it  had  been  left  to  me  I  would  have 


202 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


chosen  no  other.  And  now  conies  my  brother.  If  there  is 
a  good  man  on  the  earth,  I  think  it  is  my  brother.” 

Pastor  James  A.  Spurgeon  said : 

“  There  is  no  one  in  the  world  who  has  so  good  a  brother 
as  I  have.  The  esteem  in  which  I  have  held  him  has  only 
been  equalled  by  the  love  I  bear  him.  I  consider  it  the 
greatest  honor  God  could  have  conferred  upon  me  to  make 
me  co-partner  in  my  brother’s  work.  A  grander  leader  no 
man  could  possibly  desire.  The  secret  of  my  brother’s  suc¬ 
cess,  so  far  as  I  have  solved  it,  is  prayer.  I  shall  have  to 
add,  I  do  not  know  anybody  who  works  harder  than  my 
brother.  A  great  deal  of  my  brother’s  success  is  due  to  his 
geniality.” 

Mr.  Spurgeon  then  introduced  his  son,  Rev.  Charles 
Spurgeon,  who  said : 

“  Dear  friends,  I  am  here  to-night  to  speak  for  two,  for 
we  are  as  one,  Charlie  and  Tommie.  ...  I  have  gone  into 
my  father’s  study  and  sat  at  his  feet  to  learn  many  a  time, 
but  I  never  could  open  my  mouth  before  him.  When  he 
said,  ‘  Charlie,  what  are  you  going  to  preach  from  ?  ’  I 
wished  I  could  get  to  the  other  side  of  the  door  as  quickly 
as  possible,  for  I  was  afraid.  If  I  told  him  the  text,  he 
would  want  to  know  what  the  divisions  were,  and  would 
probably  say  that  the  middle  one  was  wrong.” 

Mr.  Spurgeon  then  introduced  his  pupil  and  friend,  Rev. 
Archibald  G.  Brown,  who  referred  to  the  sermon  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon  which  led  him  to  Christ. 

“  Twenty-three  years  ago  to-morrow  I  was  baptized  by  Mr. 
Spurgeon  on  this  lower  platform.  .  .  .  Mr.  Spurgeon  has 
given  all  in  the  College  a  passion  for  souls.  Above  all 
things,  we  desire  that  God  will  make  us  the  means  of  win¬ 
ning  many  to  the  Saviour.” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


203 


Addresses  were  presented  from  the  students  of  the  Col¬ 
lege,  from  the  Tabernacle  Sunday-school,  and  from  the 
Baptist  ministers  of  France. 

The  evening  was  closed  with  prayer  by  Mr.  Spurgeon. 
“  Thy  servants  remember  dark  days  and  times  of  need  and 
great  difficulty  when  we  had  nothing  to  stay  ourselves  upon 
except  our  God ;  and  we  never  were  better  stayed.  Never 
were  we  happier ;  never  was  there  an  intenser  joy  in  our 
spirit  than  when  we  felt  we  were  out  of  our  depth,  and  yet 
could  not  drown,  but  could  safely  swim.” 

On  Thursday  evening,  June  19,  the  Earl  of  Shaftes¬ 
bury  presided.  A  list  was  read  of  the  various  societies 
represented  and  of  addresses,  letters,  and  telegrams  re¬ 
ceived. 

Earl  Shaftesbury  then  spoke  of  “Our  admirable,  our 
invaluable  friend,  Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon.  .  .  .  You  see 
him  now  as  he  began :  the  same  true,  simple  man  that  he 
was,  not  puffed  up  by  success,  but  rather  humbled  by  it. 
.  .  .  What  a  powerful  administrative  mind  our  friend  pos¬ 
sesses  is  shown  by  the  list  which  has  been  read  of  the  socie¬ 
ties  and  associations  constructed  by  his  genius.  ...  A 
kinder,  better,  honester,  nobler  man  never  existed  on  the 
face  of  the  earth.  ...  We  wish  and  pray  that  the  rest  of 
his  life  may  be  according  to  its  beginning:  that  he  may  go 
on  increasing  in  service,  in  depth  of  feeling,  in  winning  souls 
to  the  Lord.” 

Canon  Basil  Wilberforce  (grandson  of  the  Wilberforce) 
was  the  next  speaker,  and  was  followed  by  J.  W.  Todd, 
D.  D.,  on  behalf  of  the  London  Baptist  Association.  O.  P. 
Gifford,  D.  IX,  presented  an  address  from  the  Baptist  min¬ 
isters  of  Boston. 

Rt.  Hon.  Sir  William  MacArtlmr,  M.  P.,  formerly  Lord 


204 


LI  PE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Mayor,  made  an  address,  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  New¬ 
man  Hall. 

Mr.  Olney,  of  the  Tabernacle,  presented  the  Spurgeon 
Jubilee  Fund,  of  four  thousand  five  hundred  pounds,  which 
Mr.  Spurgeon  distributed  among  the  various  enterprises  of 
the  Tabernacle,  as  he  had  done  the  gift  of  six  thousand 
two  hundred  and  forty-eight  pounds  given  him  in  1879,  on 
the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  settlement. 

And  so,  amid  mutual  love,  amid  mutual  blessings  without 
number,  amid  the  assurance  of  salvation  and  the  enjoyment 
of  present  service,  the  jubilee  closed. 

At  this  point,  after  witnessing  the  great  results  of  the  first 
thirty-one  years  of  his  ministry,  it  is  perhaps  proper  to  ask 
the  oft-repeated  question,  “  What  was  the  secret  of  his  suc¬ 
cess?”  It  is  true,  life  is  essentially  a  mystery.  We  can 
explain  the  power  of  the  steam  engine  by  the  expansion  of 
steam  ;  we  know  how  many  volts  are  necessary  to  accomplish 
certain  results  by  the  electric  motor ;  but  the  germination 
and  the  maintenance  of  life,  physical  or  spiritual,  pass  our 
comprehension.  Yet  it  may  not  be  in  vain  to  ask  the 
question.  Even  if  the  answer  be  but  approximate  and  inade¬ 
quate,  it  may  have  its  lesson. 

First  of  all,  we  put  the  explanation  where  Mr.  Spurgeon 
always  put  it,  in  the  blessing  of  God.  This  blessing  of  God 
was  conveyed  in  the  bestowment  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
this  gift  was  granted  in  answer  to  prayer.  He  lived  in  an 
atmosphere  of  prayer ;  he  was  always  in  a  state  of  mind  to 
which  prayer  was  not  incongruous,  but  natural.  As  he  was 
walking  one  day  with  Dr.  Hoyt  through  the  woods,  they 
came  to  a  fallen  tree;  Mr.  Spurgeon  said,  “Let  us  pray 
here,”  as  if  he  had  said,  “  Let  us  sit  down  and  rest.”  And 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


205 


his  prayers  had  a  man  behind  them.  God  does  not  regard 
anonymous  prayers  any  more  than  sensible  men  regard 
anonymous  letters.  There  was  a  man,  spiritual,  hallowed, 
self-sacrificing,  in  earnest.  And  he  was  acquainted  with 
God.  He  knew  God  by  heart,  as  a  man  knows  his  friend. 
He  knew  how  to  address  him ;  how  to  prevail  with  him. 

All  this  on  the  divine  side,  or  on  the  divine-human.  But 
when  God  acts  through  a  man,  it  is  because  he  is  a  man 
through  whom  God  can  act,  because  be  has  certain  qualities 
either  by  nature  or  by  divine  endowment. 

We  have  already  spoken,  every  one  has  spoken,  of  his 
marvelous  voice.  That  he  had  an  enormous  capacity  for 
labor,  every  reader  of  these  pages  must  be  aware,  unless  we 
have  written  in  vain.  He  was  a  miracle  of  clearness  of 
diction  and  directness  in  speech.  He  had  the  moral  bravery 
which  enabled  him  to  stand  alone  with  all  the  world  on  the 
other  side.  A  man  who  has  passed  beyond  fear  is  a  man 
who  cannot  be  left  out  in  our  reckoning. 

He  believed.  Everything  was  a  reality.  When  he  was 
in  his  study,  when  he  went  into  the  pulpit,  everything  was 
a  reality.  He  stood  as  God’s  representative  to  man,  and  as 
man’s  representative  to  God.  The  man  who  believes  every 
word  he  says  is  a  power.  God  works  sometimes  through 
narrow-minded  men,  sometimes  through  weak  men,  but 
always  through  men  who  believe. 

He  had  that  magnetism  which  sends  its  currents  through 
an  audience,  which  is  often  a  power  for  evil,  but  which, 
when  sanctified,  is  one  of  Heaven’s  greatest  gifts.  lie  loved, 
and  love  is  the  great  power  in  the  universe.  He  had  the 
power  of  organization,  which  enabled  him  to  multiply  him¬ 
self,  and  to  get  out  of  every  one  associated  with  him  the 
utmost  that  was  in  him. 


206 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


“Any  fool,”  said  Dr.  J.  A.  Broadus,  “  can  work  himself ; 
it  takes  a  wise  man  to  get  work  out  of  other  people.” 

His  ear  was  always  bent  to  hear  what  God  had  said 
through  his  word.  The  book  was  not  centuries  and  mil¬ 
lenniums  old :  it  was  fresh.  His  interpretations  were  his 
own. 

Every  soldier  knows  the  difference  between  a  concentric 
fire  and  a  diverging  fire.  All  his  powers  were  trained  and 
concentrated  upon  one  single  point,  not  his  own  reputation, 
not  some  coveted  position,  but  the  salvation  of  men.  He 
achieved  that  great  victory  for  want  of  which  so  many 
gifted  preachers  are  almost  a  failure.  He  absolutely  forgot 
himself.  This  self-forgetfulness  spoke  in  every  word,  ex¬ 
pressed  itself  in  every  tone.  He  was  never  oratorical.  He 
was  never  declamatory.  His  tone  was  that  of  the  most 
earnest  conversation,  quiet,  yet  penetrating  and  far-Teaching_ 

And  the  whole  man — powers,  affections,  reason,  pathos, 
humor — all  were  presented  a  living  sacrifice,  as  if  he  would 
realize  what  God  could  make  of  a  man  absolutely  and 
without  reserve  devoted  to  his  service. 

And  he  preached  the  old  doctrines  which,  let  men  say 
what  they  will,  have  the  power  to  reach  men’s  hearts  and  to 
mold  men’s  lives — the  old  doctrines,  whose  power  has  been 
shown  in  the  dying  chamber,  in  the  strength  of  manhood, 
on  the  field  of  battle,  in  the  lonely  cell,  at  the  martyr’s 
stake,  the  doctrines  which  made  Bunyan  and  Cromwell 
Whitfield  and  Wesley,  Knox  and  Havelock,  Luther  and 
Coligny. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


NONCONFORMITY — THE  DENOMINATION — "  DOWN  GRADE.” 

mHE  religious  question  in  Great  Britain  is  that  of  the  liber- 
-L  ation  of  religion  from  State  support  and  State  control. 
It  is  not  at  all  a  question  of  the  personal  character  of  the 
State  clergy,  or,  necessarily,  of  the  quality  of  the  religious 
teaching  imparted  by  them.  The  question  is,  “  Shall  the  State 
tax  all  its  citizens  to  maintain  the  ministers  of  any  one  form 
of  religion,  a  form  which  is  professed,  perhaps  by  a  half  of 
the  people,  perhaps  by  a  minority,  possibly  by  an  insignifi¬ 
cant  minority  ?  ”  And,  still  further,  “  Shall  the  State  make 
the  church,  which  is  thus  established,  a  means  of  inflicting 
social  and  political  oppression  and  educational  disability 
upon  all  who  have  the  manhood  to  avow  their  conscientious 
dissent  from  the  polity,  the  forms,  or  the  doctrines  of  the 
church  thus  by  law  established?  ” 

It  is  nothing  to  the  purpose  to  say  that  there  are  among 
the  clergy  thus  sustained  by  the  State  many  polished  gen¬ 
tlemen,  many  erudite  scholars,  many  devout  Christians. 
And  it  is  liable  to  arouse  emotions  inconsistent  with  gospel 
meekness  when  the  dignitaries  in  State  and  Church,  after 
shutting  out  through  generations  and  centuries  the  Non¬ 
conformists  from  the  great  universities  and  from  social 
amenities  and  from  the  smiles  of  the  court,  then  say,  “  You 
are  not  educated ;  you  are  not  cultivated  ;  you  are  not  gen¬ 
tlemen.” 

Descended  from  generations  of  Nonconformists  ;  having 
17  207 


208 


LIFE  OF  SPUEGEON. 


in  his  veins  the  blood  of  the  men  who  fought  beside  the 
Ironsides,  and  in  his  soul  the  doctrines  of  the  Puritans ;  en¬ 
dowed  with  a  rugged  sense  of  independence  ;  incapable  of 
submitting  to  unjust  dictation;  intent  upon  studying  the 
Bible  for  himself;  animated  by  a  justice  that  impelled  him 
to  give  to  all  the  rights  which  he  claimed  as  his  own, — there 
could  be  no  question  as  to  the  position  which  Mr.  Spurgeon 
would  hold  as  to  Nonconformity.  In  fact,  he  himself,  as 
also  every  step  in  his  career,  was  an  argument.  Shut  out 
from  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  God  had  made  him  the  first 
preacher  of  his  time.  Under  his  lead,  a  church  destitute 
of  wealth  had  erected  a  house  of  worship  which  was  the 
centre  of  Christian  influences  incomparably  greater  than 
radiated  from  St.  Paul’s  and  Canterbury  and  Rochester, 
and,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  from  all  the  cathedrals  in 
the  kingdom.  Mr.  Spurgeon,  the  Tabernacle,  the  Pastors’ 
College,  the  sermons  and  books  going  forth  by  the  million 
to  all  the  world, — these  were  in  themselves  thousand-tongued 
witnesses  to  the  power  and  greatness  of  the  voluntary  prin¬ 
ciple,  all  declaring  that  truth  alone  is  vastly  more  efficient 
for  good  than  truth  and  power  combined.  There  was  great 
significance  in  the  fact  that,  up  to  1891,  the  annual  meet¬ 
ings  of  the  Liberation  Society  were  held  in  the  Tabernacle. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  had  a  majestic  common  sense  which  judged 
of  every  institution,  not  by  the  appeal  it  made  to  the  taste, 
but  by  its  practical  value  to  mankind.  It  is  delightful,  as 
you  ride  along  through  the  rural  districts  of  England  to 
see,  now  and  then,  rising  above  the  trees,  the  stone  spire  of 
a  parish  church,  and  about  it  the  little  churchyard  with 
the  gleaming  gravestones.  All  these  form  a  beautiful  fea¬ 
ture  in  the  landscape.  We  know  that,  on  Sunday,  the  music 
is  unexceptionable,  that  all  is  conducted  with  faultless  taste, 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


200 


that  the  light  streaming  through  the  stained  window  falls 
upon  the  dignified  figure  of  the  squire,  and  upon  the  classic, 
clear  cut  features  of  the  clergyman,  whose  scarlet  hood  tells 
that  he  studied  at  one  of  the  great  seats  of  learning.  But 
when  you  think  that,  of  the  rural  congregation,  few  have 
the  least  idea  what  it  is  all  about,  that  perhaps  the  service 
is  all  intoned  so  as  to  be  in  an  unknown  tongue;  when  you 
look  over  the  fields  and  realize  that  the  one-tenth  which  the 
poor  farmers  are  forced  to  pay  on  their  crops  makes  all  the 
difference  between  their  making  a  living  and  not  making  it, — 
then,  perhaps,  you  say  that  there  are  two  sides  to  the  ques¬ 
tion,  or  rather  that  there  is  but  one  side. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  realized  that  a  Church  Establishment  af¬ 
fords  no  guarantee  for  soundness  in  doctrine  and  primitive 
simplicity  of  worship.  In  October,  1886,  as  Mr.  Spurgeon 
was  driving  with  a  visitor  whom  he  had  kindly  invited  for 
the  day,  they  both  went  into  the  Beckenham  Parish  Church, 
of  which  formerly  Dr.  Marsh  was  Rector,  whose  daughter 
wrote,  “The  Life  of  Captain  Hedley  Vicars,”  “Light  on 
the  Line,”  and  many  other  charming  religious  books,  and 
also  did  a  vast  deal  of  good  work  for  the  “  navvies  ”  on  the 
railway  lines.  Under  Dr.  Marsh,  the  preaching  was  strongly 
evangelical  and  Low  Church.  But  later,  a  new  clergyman 
came,  who  has  made  the  church  and  the  service  and  the 
preaching  Ritualistic  in  the  extreme.  There  are  two  altars, 
which  is  contrary  to  the  law,  but  is  somehow  winked  at. 
There  is  no  end  of  candles,  small  and  large.  There  are  a 
crucifix,  and  an  “  Agnus  Dei,”  and  banners  to  be  carried 
about  the  church  in  processionals.  We  see  what  is  liable 
to  happen  when  the  minister  is  appointed  over  the  heads 
of  the  people  by  somebody  else.  The  wishes  of  the  people 
have  no  weight ;  they  have  to  sit  under  a  service  that  is 


210 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


repugnant  to  them,  but  which  gradually  charms  and  trans¬ 
forms  their  children,  till  Ritualism  is  supreme. 

1  he  main  pillar  of  this  church  is  the  man  who  refused 
to  sell  Mr.  Spurgeon  land  for  a  chapel,  because  the  Dissent¬ 
ers  are  “  heretics  and  schismatics,”  but  who  sees  the  law 
of  England  broken  every  Sunday  in  his  parish  church  by 
Ritualistic  observances. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  saw  also  that  the  tendency  of  an  Established 
Church  was  to  induce  among  its  clergy  a  disposition  to 
tamper  with  their  consciences.  He  was  not  contented  to 
bear  a  silent  testimony.  We  have  before  said  that,  on  June 
5,  1864,  when  his  powers  had  nearly  reached  their  table 
land,  he  preached  his  notable  sermon  upon  “  Baptismal  Re¬ 
generation,”  which  was  a  trumpet  call  to  all  true  men  in  The 
Establishment,  who  loved  conscience  more  than  place  and 
preferment.  We  quote  a  paragraph  as  illustrating  the  po¬ 
sition  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  and  the  spirit  of  the  discourse  : 1 

“  Here  is  a  church  which  teaches  every  Lord’s  Day  in 
the  Sunday-school,  and  should,  according  to  the  Rubric, 
teach  openly  in  the  church,  all  children  that  they  were 
made  members  of  Christ,  children  of  God,  and  inheritors  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  when  they  were  baptized  !  Here  is 
a  professedly  Protestant  Church,  which,  every  time  its  min¬ 
ister  goes  to  the  font,  declares  that  every  person  there  re¬ 
ceiving  baptism  is  there  and  then  ‘  regenerated  and  grafted 
into  the  body  of  Christ’s  Church.’  ” 

The  sermon  called  out  sharp  replies  from  several  evan¬ 
gelical  laymen  and  clergymen  in  the  Church  of  England. 
The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  at  the  Church  Pastoral  Aid  So¬ 
ciety,  said : 


1  As  many  of  our  readers  may  desire  to  see  the  whole  of  this  remarkable 
discourse,  we  present  it  in  an  Appendix. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  211 

“  I  think  that  if  what  we  have  heard  of  had  been  addressed 
to  me  in  my  capacity  of  a  layman,  I  should  have  taken  no  no¬ 
tice  of  it  whatever ;  or,  I  should  merely  have  said  to  the  ac¬ 
cuser,  ‘  Sir,  I  believe  you  are  very  ignorant ;  to  say  the 
truth,  you  are  a  very  saucy  fellow ;  and  if  you  think 
you  represent  the  great  and  good  Nonconformists  of 
former  days — the  Howes,  the  Banyans,  the  Flavels,  and 
Wattses — or  even  that  you  have  anything  akin  to  the  good, 
sound,  and  true  religious  Nonconformists  of  the  present  day, 
you  are  just  as  much  mistaken  as  you  would  be  if  you 
thought  you  were  well  versed  in  history,  or  had  even  been 
initiated  in  the  first  elements  of  good  breeding  or  Christian 
charity.’  ” 

And  yet  it  might  be  doubted  whether  Mr.  Spurgeon  had 
spoken  with  any  greater  plainness  than  did  Lord  Shaftes¬ 
bury  himself,  two  years  later,  when  he  wrote,  July  23, 1866  : 

“  On  Sunday  to  St.  Alban’s  Church  in  Holborn.  In  out¬ 
ward  form  and  ritual,  it  is  the  worship  of  Jupiter  and  Juno. 
.  .  .  Abundance  of  servitors,  etc.,  in  Roman  apparel  .  .  . 
then  ensued  such  a  scene  of  theatrical  gymnastics,  of  sing¬ 
ing,  of  screaming,  of  genuflections,  such  a  series  of  strange 
movements  of  the  priests,  their  backs  almost  always  to  the 
people,  as  I  never  saw  before,  even  in  a  Romish  temple. 
An  hour  and  three  quarters  were  given  up  to  the  histrionic 
part.  The  communicants  went  up  to  the  tune  of  soft  music 
as  though  it  had  been  a  melodrama,  and  one  was  astonished 
at  the  close  that  there  was  no  fall  of  the  curtain.  ...  Is 
our  blessed  Lord  obeyed  in  such  observances  and  cer¬ 
emonials?  Do  we  thus  lead  souls  to  Christ  or  to  Baal  ?  ” 

Another  champion,  the  Dean  of  Ripon,  said : 

“As  to  that  young  minister  who  is  now  raving  against  the 
Evangelical  clergy  on  this  point,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  so 


212 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


much  notice  lias  been  taken  of  his  railings.  He  is  to  be 
pitied,  because  his  entire  want  of  acquaintance  with  theolog¬ 
ical  literature  leaves  him  utterly  unlit  for  the  determination 
of  such  a  question,  which  is  a  question,  not  of  mere  doctrine, 
but  of  what  may  be  called  historical  theology.” 

It  is  a  pity  the  Dean  did  not  state  just  how  much  “  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  theological  literature  ”  is  needful  to  enable 
a  person  to  decide  whether  it  is  right  or  wrong  “  for  clergy¬ 
men  to  swear  that  they  give  their  solemn  assent  and  consent 
to  what  they  do  not  believe,”  whether  “  in  ecclesiastical 
matters,  falsehood  may  express  truth,  and  truth  is  mere  un¬ 
important  nonentity.” 

In  the  same  spirit,  Mr.  Spurgeon  dealt  with  the  form  of 
absolution  as  pronounced  in  the  Anglican  churches : 

“  Here  is  the  absolution,  and  I  humbly  and  heartily  de¬ 
sire  a  ‘  Thus  saith  the  Lord  ’  for  it.  ‘  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
who  hath  left  power  to  his  church  to  absolve  all  sinners  who 
truly  repent  and  believe  in  him,  of  his  great  mercy  forgive 
thee  thine  offences  ;  and  by  his  authority  committed  to  me,  I 
absolve  thee  from  all  thy  sins,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.’  ” 

Elsewhere  in  the  discussion,  Mr.  Spurgeon  spoke  of  “  The 
Order  for  the  Burial  of  the  Dead  ”  : 

“  What  a  disgraceful  farce  is  that  which  is  transacted  at 
the  open  grave,  when  a  ‘  dear  brother,’  who  has  died  drunk, 
is  buried  in  a  ‘  sure  and  certain  hope  of  the  resurrection  to 
eternal  life,’  and  with  the  prayer  that  ‘  when  we  shall  depart 
this  life,  we  may  rest  in  him  (Christ),  as  our  hope  is  that 
this  our  brother  doth.’  Here  is  a  ‘  regenerate  ’  brother 
who  having  defiled  the  village  by  constant  uncleanness  and 
bestial  drunkenness,  died  without  a  sign  of  repentance,  and 
yet  the  professed  minister  of  God  solemnly  accords  him  funeral 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


213 


rites  which  are  denied  to  unbaptized  innocents,  and  puts  the 
reprobate  into  the  earth  ‘  in  sure  and  certain  hope  of  the 
resurrection  to  eternal  life.’  ” 

Do  the  words  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  seem  severe?  Let  us 
excuse  him ;  perhaps  he  has  been  reading  the  speech  of 
Lord  Ebury1  in  the  House  of  Lords,  June  1,  1863,  and  he 
had  in  mind  the  reference  which  his  lordship  made  to  an 
actual  case.  In  December,  1848,  a  notorious  evil-liver  was 
turned  out  of  a  tavern  in  Cambridge,  at  a  late  hour  of 
night  so  intoxicated  that,  falling  into  a  ditch,  he  was 
suffocated.  Mr.  Dodd,  the  parish  clergyman,  while  “  acting 
throughout  with  great  wisdom  and  propriety,”  declined  to 
read  over  him  the  service  which  declared  the  deceased  “  our 
dear  brother  ”  who  was  “  resting  in  Christ.”  He  was  cited 
before  the  Court  of  Arches,  was  fined  the  cost  of  the  suit,  and 
suspended  for  six  months. 

No  doubt  also  he  learned  from  the  same  speech  (if  he  was 
not  aware  of  it  before)  that  seventeen  “  distinguished  resi¬ 
dents  of  the  University  of  Cambridge”  circulated  a  memo¬ 
rial  to  the  “  Right  Reverend  Bench  of  Bishops,”  which  was 
later  signed  by  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fourteen 
clergymen,  setting  forth  that  “  the  almost  indiscriminate  use 
of  ‘The  Order  for  the  Burial  of  the  Dead,’  as  practically 
enforced  by  the  existing  state  of  the  law,  imposes  a  heavy 


1  This  most  estimable  nobleman,  now  in  his  ninety-first  year,  the  oldest 
member  of  the  House  of  Peers,  has  been  throughout  his  long  life  the  friend  of 
missions  and  of  evangelical  religion.  Both  in  his  place  as  a  member,  first,  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  later,  since  1857,  as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
and  as  President  of  t lie  Prayer  Book  Revision  Society,  he  has  labored  untiringly 
to  free  the  Anglican  Ritual  of  ail  that  is  out  of  harmony  with  spiritual  and 
scriptural  Christianity.  The  volume  just  issued,  “Lord  Ebury  as  a  Church 
Reformer”  (by  Hon.  and  Rev.  E.  W.  Bligh.  London,  James  Nisbct  &  Co.),  is 
worthy  the  careful  attention  of  every  student  of  the  present  religious  situation 
in  England. 


214 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


burden  upon  the  consciences  of  clergymen,  and  is  the 
occasion  of  a  grievous  scandal  to  many  Christian  people.” 

Of  course,  he  had  not  read  the  speech  of  Lord  Ebury, 
made  July  23,  1865,  in  which  his  lordship  moved  that  “  in 
the  opinion  of  this  House,  the  evils  arising  from  the  com¬ 
pulsory  and  almost  indiscriminate  use  of  the  Burial  Service 
of  the  Church  of  England  demand  the  early  attention  of 
the  legislature ;  ”  but  he  may  have  heard  of  a  case  cited  by 
Lord  Ebury  as  having  occurred  in  Colyton,  Devonshire. 
Mr.  Gueritz,  the  Incumbent,  as  directed  by  law,  read  thirteen 
times  a  year  the  Athanasian  Creed,  which  consigned  to 
eternal  perdition,  among  others,  the  Unitarians,  “  against 
whom  he  believed  this  creed  to  have  been  specially  directed.” 
After  he  had  read  this  creed  on  Sunday,  the  sexton  informed 
him  of  the  death  of  one  of  his  parishoners,  a  Unitarian. 
Having  said  that  this  man  would  “  perish  everlastingly,” 
he  was  now  required  to  say  of  the  same  man,  before  the 
same  congregation,  that  he  “  committed  the  body  of  his 
dear  brother”  to  the  ground,  “in  the  sure  and  certain  hope 
of  his  resurrection  to  eternal  life  and  happiness  in  the  world 
to  come.”  Rather  than  violate  the  dictates  of  conscience, 
he  refused  to  read  the  Order  of  Burial ;  he  also  was  cited, 
admonished,  and  condemned  to  pay  the  cost  of  the  suit.  His 
lordship  added,  “  All  comment  upon  such  a  state  of  things 
is  simply  superfluous.” 

Undoubtedly,  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  read  in  another  speech 
of  Lord  Ebury  in  the  House  of  Lords,  the  following : 

“What  is  it  we  complain  of?  We  see  a  Church,  whose 
confessors  and  martyrs  suffered  and  bled  to  establish  it  in 
the  utmost  purity  of  doctrine  and  simplicity  of  ritual, 
gradually  approaching  in  its  doctrine  and  ritual  to  the 
Church  of  Rome.  We  have  transubstantiation,  in  all  but 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


215 


the  name,  auricular  confession,  penance,  priestly  absolution, 
prayers  for  the  dead,  ornamental  vestments,  emblematic 
banners  and  processions,  crucifixes,  incense,  candles  lighted 
in  broad  daylight.” 

Feeling  for  the  sad  estate  of  his  evangelical  brethren  of 
the  Church  of  England,  Mr.  Spurgeon  no  doubt  desired  to 
aid  them  to  emancipate  themselves.  He  was  unwilling  that 
he  and  his  brethren  of  the  Nonconformist  churches  should 
have  a  monopoly  of  self-sacrifice  and  fidelity  to  conviction. 

While  there  was  no  change  in  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  views,  yet, 
in  later  years,  his  personal  relation  to  many  of  the  members 
of  the  Anglican  Church  were  very  friendly. 

It  is  probable  that  the  clergy  of  all  shades  learned  to 
appreciate  his  true  manliness  and  his  spiritual  force  and  the 
greatness  of  the  work  he  was  doing  for  England.  And  pos¬ 
sibly,  some  among  them  may  have  realized,  with  the  passage 
of  time,  that  his  strong  utterances  were  not  unneeded.  And 
he,  on  the  other  hand,  as  Dr.  Weston  has  justly  observed  in  a 
previous  chapter,  came  to  prize  in  the  Ritualists  their  vivid 
realization  of  the  supernatural,  while  as  to  the  Low  Church 
wing,  he  perhaps  felt  glad  that  they  were  inconsistently  right 
rather  than  consistently  wrong. 

But  is  not  the  present  decadence  of  the  evangelical  wing 
of  the  Establishment  the  natural  result  of  the  long-continued 
profession  and  assertion  by  its  clergy  of  doctrines  from 
which  their  hearts  and  conscience  revolt  ? 

It  is  not  needful  to  remind  the  reader  that  Mr  Spurgeon 
was  a  member  of  the  great  Baptist  brotherhood,  holding  to 
its  essential  doctrines,  to  the  baptism  of  believers,  to  the 
ordinances  as  Christ  the  Lord  delivered  them,  to  a  spiritual 
and  regenerate  church,  to  the  Bible,  and  especially  the  New 
Testament,  as  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  to  absolute 


21 6 


LIFE  OF  SPUR  OF  OS. 


severance  of  Church  from  State,  and  to  the  lordship  of 
Christ  alone  in  his  own  church. 

Upon  the  subject  of  the  Lord’s  Supper,  the  practice  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon  and  his  church  was  far  removed  from  what  is 
ordinarily  known  as  “  open  communion.”  A  visitor  who 
was  certified  as  a  member  of  an  evangelical  church  received 
a  ticket  to  the  Lord’s  Table  for  three  months,  after  which  he 
was  told,  “You  have  now  had  an  opportunity  of  observing 
our  practice.  We  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  be  baptized 
and  unite  with  us ;  otherwise,  you  had  better  go  where  you 
find  fuller  sympathy.”  Mr.  Spurgeon  said,  in  substance,  to 
Dr.  W  ay  land  Hoyt  and  to  other  gentlemen,  what  he  wrote 
to  the  “  Baptist  Weekly,”  March  26,  1884,  “As  compared 
with  the  bulk  of  English  Baptists,  I  am  a  strict  commun- 
ionist,  as  my  church  fellowship  is  strictly  of  the  baptized.” 

As  to  the  relation  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  to  the  Baptist  De¬ 
nomination  in  England,  we  are  favored  with  the  following 
communication  from  Rev.  Charles  Williams,  the  highly 
esteemed  pastor  of  Accrington,  in  Lancashire,  President  of 
the  Baptist  Union,  1886-87,  author  of  “Principles  and 
Practices  of  the  Baptists.” 

“  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  much  more  than  a  Baptist.  He  be¬ 
longed  to  Christendom,  like  Carey,  Livingstone,  Brainerd 
and  Judson,  Wesley  and  Maclaren.  These  men,  by  common 
consent,  are  not  the  exclusive  possession  of  any  one  denomi¬ 
nation,  but,  with  Paul  and  Apollos  and  Cephas,  are  given 
to  all  who  are  Christ’s.  Nevertheless,  each  of  them  has  had 
his  name  on  a  church  roll,  has  been  numbered  with  a  par¬ 
ticular  denomination.  Though  so  much  more  than  a  Bap¬ 
tist,  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  a  very  decided,  thorough  and  out¬ 
spoken  Baptist. 


LIFE  OF  SPUR  Q EON. 


217 


“  Is  there  a  Baptist  denomination  ?  The  Baptists  of  Great 
Britain  are  not  an  organic  whole.  They  differ  from  W esleyan 
Methodists  and  Presbyterians  in  almost  every  particular  as 
to  government.  The  Baptist  Union  has  no  legislative  or 
controling  power.  While  the  Conference  can  direct  and 
restrain  Wesleyans  in  their  church  life  and  activities,  and 
the  General  Assembly  is  a  court  of  last  appeal  to  Presby¬ 
terians,  the  Baptist  Union  has  no  authority  within  a  church 
or  over  its  pastor.  Each  church  is  self-governing  and  inde¬ 
pendent  of  all  human  power  outside  itself.  Every  church 
makes  out  its  own  trust  deeds,  aud  prescribes  all  the  condi¬ 
tions  upon  which  property  shall  be  held  for  its  use,  and  no 
County  Association  or  National  Union  has  voice  or  vote  in 
the  matter.  In  the  election  of  a  pastor,  no  confirmation  of 
the  choice  by  neighboring  ministers  is  necessary.  The 
church  appoints ;  and  the  appointment  is  regarded  as  equiva¬ 
lent  to  ordination,  for  it  is  all  the  ecclesiastical  authority  a 
minister  gets  to  preach  the  gospel,  to  administer  ordinances, 
to  shepherd  believers.  Neighboring  pastors  may  be  asked 
to  attend  a  recognition  service,  but  no  official  sanction  is  requi¬ 
site  to  give  validity  to  the  action  of  tire  individual  church. 

“  Our  Baptist  Missionary  Society  is  not  governed  by  the 
denomination,  but  by  its  members  (those  who  subscribe 
half  a  guinuea  annually,  and  ministers  who  make  an  an¬ 
nual  collection).  These  appoint  the  committees,  and  would 
resent  any  interference  with  their  supremacy.  The  Baptist 
Union  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  is  only  a  Society  of 
certain  Baptists,  which  has  no  constitutional  right,  any  more 
than  any  other  society  of  Baptists,  to  be  considered  the  de¬ 
nomination  oi*  to  speak  in  its  name.  It  is  this  peculiarity 
of  British  Baptists  which  makes  me  ask,  Is  there  a  Baptist 
denomination  ? 


218 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


“For  manv  years  our  friend  was  as  denominational  as  I 
am.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to  be  the  first  Secretary  of  the  Fund 
for  Augmenting  the  Incomes  of  the  Pastors  of  our  Poorer 
Churches,  and  of  the  Fund  for  Providing  Annuities  for  Aged 
and  Infirm  Ministers  and  the  Widows  of  Pastors.  In  both 
capacities  I  came  into  frequent  and  very  friendly  relations 
with  Mr.  Spurgeon.  He  was  among  the  earliest  and  most 
liberal  of  my  backers.  From  the  first  he  subscribed  to  the 
Augmentation  F und,  and  often  told  me  to  ask  for  any  ad¬ 
ditional  help  needed.  In  1875,  he  was  anxious  to  keep  the 
Augmentation  F und  a  separate  society,  and  to  prevent  its 
absorption  by  the  Baptist  Union.  My  colleague  in  those 
days  was  Rev.  H.  C.  Leonard.  In  urging  me  to  maintain 
the  independence  of  our  fund,  Mr.  Spurgeon  wrote  char¬ 
acteristically  :  ‘  When  I  look  at  you  and  Leonard,  I  say, 

“  There  go  the  ships,”  but  when  I  look  at  the  Baptist  Union 
I  say,  “  There  is  that  leviathan  whom  thou  hast  made  to  play 
therein.”  ’  But  he  helped  me  to  the  last,  with  very  large 
generosity.  And  so  with  the  Annuity  Fund.  He  gave 
five  hundred  pounds  towards  our  Reserve  Fund  (fifty  thou¬ 
sand  pounds),  and  held  a  meeting  of  his  friends  on  his  lawn 
in  Nightingale  Lane  in  its  behalf. 

“  Some  years  later,  I  explored  Cumberland  for  the  Baptists, 
and  discovered  at  Carlisle  a  half-starved  Baptist  minister 
who  hailed  from  Spurgeon’s  Pastors’  College.  I  wrote  to 
our  friend.  He  pleaded  that  the  Lancashire  Association 
should  take  up  Carlisle.  We  gave  fifty  pounds  a  year  and 
he  another  fifty  pounds  to  Carlisle  for  some  years.  Iu  re¬ 
turn  I  urged  him  to  help  us  in  Workington,  where,  in  the  face 
of  many  difficulties,  the  Baptists  were  struggling  into  exist¬ 
ence.  He  responded,  and  for  some  time  gave  fifty  pounds 
a  year  for  Workington,  which  is  also  in  Cumberland. 


LIFE  OF  SPUR  O EOF. 


219 


“  To  the  last,  Mr.  Spurgeon  continued  to  subscribe  and  to 
preach  for  our  Missionary  Society.  His  College  is  denomi¬ 
national.  Our  colleges  are,  in  this,  following  the  lead  of 
all  other  British  Baptist  institutions,  separate  and  inde¬ 
pendent  societies,  and  no  more  under  the  control  of  the  Bap¬ 
tist  Union,  or  any  assembly,  than  your  Rochester  Seminary. 
Mr.  Spurgeon  trained  ministers  for  the  pastorate  of  Bap¬ 
tist  churches.  Certainly,  until  1883,  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  as 
much  one  of  the  Baptist  denomination  as  I. 

“  Baptists  are  free,  without  prejudice  to  their  right  to  mem¬ 
bership  in  what  is  termed  the  denomination,  to  decline  or 
resign  membership  in  the  Baptist  Union.  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
until  1883,  was  a  constant  friend  of  the  Baptist  Union.  He 
was  never  a  leader.  I  do  not  recollect  seeing  him  at  any 
meeting  of  the  committee  or  council.  But  he  attended  its 
half-yearly  sessions,  especially  in  the  autumn  in  the 
provinces.  At  Liverpool,  in  1882,  he  was  his  own  dear  and 
glorious  self,  both  in  preaching  and  in  talk.  At  Leicester, 
in  1883,  a  Unitarian  was,  with  many  Baptists,  a  guest  of 
the  Mayor  at  a  public  reception.  This  gave  offence  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon.  A  discussion  on  ‘  The  Changes  now  Passing  Over 
Religious  Thought’  brought  out  clearly  divergence  on  the 
part  of  some  from  what  Mr.  Spurgeon  regarded  as  essentials 
of  the  Evangelical  Faith.  The  result  was  that  he  never 
again  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Baptist  Union.  In  1880, 
when  I  was  President,  I  hoped  to  secure  a  reunion  of 
divided  Baptists ;  and  lienee  my  plea  for  Union  at  the 
spring  meeting,  to  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  responded  favorably. 
In  the  autumn  Mr.  Spurgeon  wrote  me : 

‘“I  greatly  rejoice  at  everything  about  the  meetings.  I 
do  not  see  how  they  could  have  been  better.  ...  I  con¬ 
gratulate  you  on  your  year  of  office.  .  .  .  Nothing  has  given 

18 


220 


LIFE  OF  SPUR O EON. 


me  so  much  delight  as  the  Bristol  Session.  In  it  I  see  every 
reason  why  I  should  have  been  there ;  my  absence  had  re¬ 
spect  to  former  griefs  for  which  I  could  not  forbear  by  my 
absence  to  indicate  that  I  had  no  fellowship  in  them.’ 

“April  15,  1887,  he  wrote  me,  asking  me  to  attend  his 
Annual  Conference : 

“  ‘  You  are,  I  suppose,  the  President  of  the  Baptist  Union 
until  the  following  Monday.  I  invite  you  in  that  capacity  : 
but  I  should  have  done  so  as  Charles  Williams  without  the 
office.’ 

“  And  then  Mr.  Spurgeon  declares  that  he  ‘  ministers  to 
the  good  of  all  by  being  obliterated  as  to  public  speech,’ 

‘  but  by  doing,’  he  adds,  ‘  whatever  I  can  in  actual  union 
with  every  good  work  which  the  Union  undertakes.’  His 
precise  attitude  then  to  the  Union  is  indicated  in  what  fol¬ 
lows  :  ‘  I  should  be  glad  for  you  to  speak  [to  his  students] 
of  the  Union  and  its  work,  at  the  Conference,  without  any 
reference  to  me.  I  am  glad  that  all  the  brethren  should 
follow  their  denominational  leaders  as  far  as  ever  they  can. 
They  do  not  occupy  the  specially  trying  ground  which  I 
occupy,  and,  as  they  have  not  my  scruples,  I  shall  not  at¬ 
tempt  to  inoculate  them.’ 

“  This  was  in  April,  1887.  At  the  end  of  April  our  ‘  an¬ 
gelical  doctor,’  the  sweetly  reasonable  and  Jolm-like  Dr. 
Culross,  became  my  successor  in  the  Presidency  of  the 
Union.  During  his  year  of  office,  without  any  act  of 
offense  or  provocation  from  the  Union,  subsequent  to  April, 
1886,  the  Down  Grade  Controversy  raged,  which  ultimately 
led  to  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  final  and  formal  separation  from  the 
Baptist  Union.  I  do  not  know  what  led  to  the  change  of 
attitude  on  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  part  from  April,  1887,  to  Octo¬ 
ber,  1887.  He  did  not  in  any  way  take  me  into  his  confi- 


LIFE  OF  SPUR  O  EOF. 


221 


dence  during  these  eventful  six  months.  The  secret  history 
of  the  Controversy  will  be  known  some  day.  I  am  sure  of 
this,  that,  when  it  is,  Mr.  Spurgeon  will  not  be  dishonored. 
As  to  his  motives  and  aims,  no  one  doubts.  He  did  his 
utmost  to  be  both  charitable  and  conscientious,  and  acted, 
doubtless,  on  information  supplied  to  him. 

“  Whatever  record  leap  to  light 
He  never  shall  be  shamed.” 

As  to  the  “  Down  Grade  Controversy  ”  and  the  with¬ 
drawal  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  from  the  Baptist  Union,  it  becomes 
an  American,  separated  by  three  thousand  miles  of  ocean 
from  England,  to  speak  with  a  modest  sense  of  fallibility, 
and  with  a  recognition  of  the  difficulty  of  putting  himself 
in  the  place  of  all  the  good  and  great  men  whose  names 
imparted  dignity  to  the  discussion.  The  impression  grew 
upon  Mr.  Spurgeon  that,  among  the  members  of  the  Union, 
were  those  who  held  and  expressed  erroneous  and  mislead¬ 
ing  views  upon  vital  doctrines  of  the  gospel.  These  fears, 
mingled,  however,  with  hopefulness,  may  be  read  between 
the  lines  in  a  letter  dated  February  25,  1886,  after  his 
return  from  Mentone : 

Thank  God,  there  was  no  falling  off  of  funds,  as  I  feared. 
He  was  doubly  gracious  to  me.  I  trust  that  we  may  all  in 
the  future  receive  more  from  God  and  do  more  for  God,  and 
bring  more  glory  to  God.  With  the  exception  of  our  per¬ 
fect  brethren,  we  have  all  plenty  of  room  for  growing  better, 
and  1  reckon  it  a  glaring  imperfection  in  them  that  they  arc 
without  that  space  for  grace  to  work  in.  Let  us,  to  use 
your  own  idiom,  “go  ahead,”  and  may  we  especially  be 
enabled  to  make  headway  against  the  growing  scepticisms 
of  our  age.  “Steadfast,  immovable,  always  abounding  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord,”  may  we  all  be  till  the  end  come. 

It  was  with  pain  and  reluctance  that  he  contemplated  the 


222 


TAPE  OF  SPURGEON. 


possibility  of  being  separated  from  bis  brethren.  Septem¬ 
ber  27,  1886,  after  a  full  and  confidential  conversation  with 
a  visitor,  he  wrote : 

Please  write  and  say  nothing  about  me  and  the  Baptist 
Union  till  I  see  you  and  explain  at  full.  I  am  anxious  to 
have  nothing  said  which  can  trouble  our  friends  and  cause 
discord.  A  few  heedless  persons  would  be  glad  to  see  strife, 
but  I  can  differ  and  not  quarrel. 

Strenuous  effort  was  made  to  remove  his  unfavorable  im¬ 
pressions,  but  without  success.  In  the  August  number  of 
“  The  Sword  and  Trowel,”  1887,  he  published  the  celebrated 
article  “  The  Down  Grade,”  the  spirit  of  which  is  indicated 
in  the  following : 

The  Atonement  is  scouted,  the  Inspiration  of  Scripture 
is  derided,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  degraded  into  an  influence, 
the  Punishment  of  Sin  is  turned  into  fiction,  and  the  Resur¬ 
rection  into  a  myth.  And  yet  these  enemies  of  our  faith 
expect  us  to  call  them  brethren  and  maintain  a  confederacy 
with  them. 

This  article  was  followed  in  September,  by  “  Our  Reply 
to  Sundry  Critics  and  Inquirers,”  and,  in  October,  by  “  The 
Case  Proved,”  and,  in  November,  by  “A  Fragment  upon 
the  Down  Grade  Controversy.” 

Meanwhile,  in  1887,  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  formally  with¬ 
drawn  from  the  Union.  Upon  the  announcement  of  this 
withdrawal,  a  committee  of  the  Union  was  appointed,  con¬ 
sisting  of  John  Aldis,  D.  D.,  President  Joseph  Angus,  D.  D., 
and  Alexander  Maclaren,  D.  D.,  who  say  : 

We  have  learned  with  extreme  regret  that  our  dear  friend 
and  fellow  laborer,  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon,  has  withdrawn 
from  membership  in  the  Baptist  Union.  We  heartily  agree 
with  Mr.  Spurgeon  in  regarding  disloyalty  to  Christ  and  his 
gospel  as  inconsistent  with  membership  in  the  Baptist  Union. 
.  .  .  While  we  differ  from  Mr.  Spurgeon  in  the  step  he  has 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


223 


taken,  we  are  at  one  with  him  in  loyalty  to  Christ,  in  love 
for  the  gospel,  and  in  earnest  longing  of  heart  that  it  may 
be  preached  in  simplicity,  uncorruptness,  fullness,  and  power, 
in  all  the  pulpits  of  the  land,  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent 
down  from  heaven.  And  we  rejoice  that,  though  he  has 
withdrawn  from  the  Union,  we  shall  continue  to  enjoy  fel¬ 
lowship  and  engage  in  service  with  him  as  members  of  the 
same  denomination. 

The  period  of  this  controversy  was  a  time  of  intense  dis¬ 
tress  to  Mr.  Spurgeon.  May  22,  1888,  he  wrote : 

The  Lord  knoweth  the  way  that  I  take,  and  to  his  divine 
arbitration,  I  leave  the  matter.  ...  I  have  borne  my  protest 
and  suffered  the  loss  of  friendships  and  reputation,  and  the 
infliction  of  pecuniary  withdrawments  and  bitter  reproach ; 
I  can  do  no  more.  My  way  is  henceforth  far  removed  from 
their  way.  But  the  pain  it  has  cost  me  none  can  measure. 
I  can  never  compromise  the  truth  of  God.  ...  It  is  not  a 
matter  of  personalities,  but  of  principles.  And  where  two 
sets  of  men  are  diametrically  opposite  in  their  opinions  upon 
vital  points,  no  form  of  words  can  make  them  one. 

June  18,  1888,  he  writes: 

I  am  so  glad  to  forget  all  this  when  writing  to  you.  I 
send  hearty  thanks  to  Mrs.  A.  (an  American  lady  who  had 
just  sent  him  twenty  pounds  for  his  various  enterprises).  I 
am  cheered  when  I  needed  cheering.  See  how  I  have  been 
in  storms  : 

1.  These  Union  troubles. 

2.  Then  wife  very  ill  these  seven  weeks,  and  ill  still. 

3.  Next,  my  dear  mother  died. 

4.  On  the  day  of  the  funeral  I  was  smitten  by  my  old 
enemy  very  fiercely,  and  have  undergone  a  baptism  of  pain. 
Cannot  walk  yet,  and  barely  stand.  Still  I  rejoice  in  God. 
Lots  of  Americans  here ;  choice  specimens.  Hearty  love. 

“The  Sword  and  Trowel  ”  for  August,  1891,  contained 
“  The  Down  Grade  and  Up  Grade  ;  or,  the  Power  of  Truth,” 
in  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  showed  by  example  cited  from 
recent  religious  history  what  vitality  and  what  power  of  con- 


224 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


quest  there  is  in  the  truth  when  proclaimed.  In  all  his  ad¬ 
dresses  to  the  Pastors’  College  Conference,  up  to  the  very 
last,  upon  “The  Greatest  Fight  in  the  World,”  he  urged 
his  students,  with  the  most  impassioned  eloquence,  to  con¬ 
tend  earnestly  for  the  faith.  Apprehending  that  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  old  Pastors’  College  Conference  were  not  entirely 
exempt  from  the  dreaded  errors,  he  dissolved  that  body, 
and  formed  a  new  Conference  upon  a  basis  intensely  and 
unmistakably  evangelical. 

There  is  not  the  least  reason  to  suppose  that  Mr. 
Spurgeon  ever  in  the  least  changed  his  views,  or  regretted 
the  position  he  had  taken. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  thorough  sincerity,  the  ab¬ 
solute  conviction,  and  the  complete  unselfishness  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon.  He  sacrificed  his  own  feelings,  his  friendships, 
to  his  sense  of  duty,  as  he  had  done  in  1886,  when  he  sej> 
arated  himself  from  Mr.  Gladstone,  an  honored  personal 
friend,  because  he  believed  that  “  Home  Rule  ”  was  fraught 
with  calamity  to  the  Empire  and  to  Protestantism.  No 
doubt  he  was  aware  also  that  he  imperilled,  humanly  speak¬ 
ing,  the  income  of  the  enterprises  under  his  charge.  He 
had  every  reason  for  keeping  silence,  if  conscience  would 
permit  silence. 

It  has  been  intimated  that  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  action  was  the 
result  of  his  impaired  health  and  his  consequent  depression 
of  spirits,  and  of  his  tendency  to  a  morbid  pessimism.  In 
this  opinion,  the  author  cannot  at  all  agree.  In  the  fall  of 
1886,  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  cheerful,  bright,  often  witty, 
kindly  in  his  judgments  of  men,  however  earnestly  he 
might  protest  against  errors  in  doctrine.  It  was  the  “  Down 
Grade  ”  which  affected  his  health,  rather  than  his  health 
which  precipitated  the  “  Down  Grade.” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  225 

At  the  same  time  we  must  recognize  the  fact  that  men  of 
a  strong  character,  of  leadership,  of  marked  ability  and  in¬ 
tense  conviction,  are  prone  to  have  small  tolerance  for  those 
who  differ  from  them,  and  also  that  it  is  the  misfortune  of 
great  and  eminent  men,  as  they  advance  in  life,  more  and 
more  to  be  surrounded  by  those  who  look  upon  them  with 
a  modified  idolatry,  and  who  no  longer  question  or  discuss, 
but  only  echo  and  reflect. 

Of  the  unscriptural  and  dangerous  character  of  the  errors 
against  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  protested,  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  How  far  they  had  pervaded  the  Union,  whether 
the  Union  could  be  better  reformed  from  within  or  from 
without,  these  were  questions  on  which  good  and  wise  men 
might  differ  in  judgment.  And  it  is  surely  possible  to 
recognize  in  the  fullest  degree  the  love  of  truth  and  the 
self-sacrificing  heroism  which  actuated  Mr.  Spurgeon,  with¬ 
out  casting  the  shadow  of  a  reproach  upon  Dr.  Angus,  Dr. 
Maclaren,  and  Dr.  Landels. 

Mr.  Spurgeon  never  left  the  denomination.  The  Baptist 
Union  is  not  the  denomination,  but  a  voluntary  society,  like 
our  own  Missionary  Union.  Mr.  Spurgeon  and  the  Taber¬ 
nacle  Church  left  the  London  Baptist  Association,  but  at 
once  joined  the  Surrey  and  Middlesex  Baptist  Association. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


MR.  SPURGEON  AT  HOME. 

dVTEVER  would  Mr.  Spurgeon  have  gone  through  his 
-L  ’  unparalleled  labors,  if  he  had  not  found  rest  and 
reinforcement  in  his  home,  and  in  the  society  of  a  brave, 
noble,  loving  woman, 

Early  in  his  ministry,  one  of  the  deacons,  seeing  that  Mr. 
Spurgeon  was  giving  away  all  and  laying  up  nothing,  per¬ 
suaded  him  to  buy  a  house  with  pleasant  grounds  in  Night¬ 
ingale  Lane,  Clapham,  which,  at  that  time,  was  a  quiet  and 
not  crowded  suburb.  Here  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spurgeon  passed 
twenty-three  happy  years.  But  the  city  grew  up  over  what 
had  been  an  open  space.  It  became  absolutely  necessary 
for  his  health  that  he  should  have  the  quiet  and  the  pure 
air  of  the  country.  The  same  causes  which  had  made 
Nightingale  Lane  less  desirable  for  a  residence  had  in- 

o  o 

creased  the  commercial  value  of  the  property.  This  increase, 
with  the  wise  economy  of  his  wife,  enabled  Mr.  Spurgeon 
to  purchase  the  estate  at  Westwood,  just  a  mile  from  the 
Sydenham  Station,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Beulah. 
It  was  then,  in  1880,  much  less  valuable  than  now. 

In  August,  1880,  Mrs.  Spurgeon  wrote,  of  the  removal 
from  the  old  home,  “  Every  nook  and  corner,  both  in  house 
and  garden,  abounds  with  sweet  or  sorrowful  memories.  .  .  . 
Though  both  husband  and  wife  have  been  caused  to  suffer 
severe  pain  and  months  of  weakness,  our  house  has  been  far 
oftener  to  us  a  Bethel  than  a  Bocliim.”  On  the  walls  of 
226 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  227 

the  study  in  the  old  home,  by  the  request  of  the  incoming 
tenants,  was  placed  the  following,  written  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  : 

“  Farewell,  fair  room,  I  leave  thee  to  a  friend  : 

Peace  dwell  with  him  and  all  his  kin. 

May  angels  evermore  the  house  defend. 

Their  Lord  hath  often  been  within.” 

“On  our  first  view  of  the  new  home,”  Mrs.  Spurgeon 
writes,  “  we  were  reminded  of  Bunyan’s  description  of  the 


Delectable  Mountains,  ‘A  pleasant  prospect  on  every  side. 
These  mountains  are  Immanuel’s  land ;  they  are  within 
sight  of  his  city ;  the  sheep  also  are  his,  and  he  laid  down 
his  life  for  them.’  ” 

Beulah  Hill  is  about  seven  miles  south  from  London. 
One  may  see  the  dome  of  St.  Paul’s,  and,  on  rare  occasions, 
the  towers  of  Windsor.  The  air  is  pure  and  sweet,  and 
now  and  then  the  sun  (if  that  name  may  be  applied  to  the 


Entrance  to  Westwood. 


228 


LIFE  QF  SPURGEON. 


aerial  phenomenon  sometimes  witnessed  in  England)  lies 
warm  and  soft  upon  the  grassy  slope.  A  friend  gave  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon  a  waterproof  mattress  on  which  he  would  some¬ 
times  lie  upon  the  sward  and  would  try  to  fancy  that  it  was 
Southern  France.  The  complete  repose,  the  pure  atmos¬ 
phere,  added  greatly,  not  only  to  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  comfort 
and  happiness,  but  to  his  power  of  labor  and  to  the  dura¬ 
tion  of  his  life. 

“  The  Pall  Mall  Gazette,”  June  19,  1884,  says: 

“  The  borders  of  the  kitchen  garden  are  all  aglow  with 
pinks  and  other  homely  English  flowers,  the  beds  of  which 
yield  every  week  a  heavy  crop  for  the  slums  of  Southwark. 
The  flower  mission  in  connection  with  the  Tabernacle — 
there  is  almost  everything  in  connection  with  the  Tabernacle 
except  a  theatre  and  a  public  house — sends  its  gleaners 
regularly  to  Westwood,  and  their  baskets  of  flowers  gladden 
many  a  home  in  the  dark  and  dreary  alleys  of  London. 
Rustic  arbors  and  convenient  seats  offer  pleasant  resting- 
places. 

“  Passing  the  lattice-door,  recalling  the  Wicket-gate,  the 
visitor  finds  himself  in  a  small  entrance  hall,  from  which 
the  dining-room  opens  to  the  right,  and  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 
study  to  the  left ;  while  between  the  two  lie  Mrs.  Spurgeon’s 
Book-Fund  room,  Mrs.  Spurgeon’s  own  room,  and  Mr.  Spur¬ 
geon’s  library.  Mrs.  Spurgeon’s  room,  whence  she  directs 
the  distribution  of  the  books  provided  by  the  Book-Fund, 
adjoins  the  small  room  where  innumerable  volumes  accumu¬ 
late,  until  the  fortnightly  wagon  arrives  from  the  Globe 
Parcel  Express,  and  carries  them  off  from  Westwood  to  all 
parts  of  the  world. 

“  Mr.  Spurgeon  received  me  in  his  study,  j  list  as  he  came 
in  from  the  garden,  upon  which  the  study  windows  open 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


229 


directly.  From  the  windows,  the  eye  wanders  over  the 
kitchen  garden,  murmurous  with  bees,  to  Thornton-heath, 
with  Croydon  in  the  distance.  In  his  study  Mr.  Spurgeon 
keeps  two  private  secretaries  constantly  going.  He  has  two 
more  at  the  Tabernacle,  one  or  two  at  the  College,  and 
others  elsewhere.  One  of  them  at  Westwood  is  a  shorthand 
writer,  and,  together  with  his  colleague,  he  is  kept  busy  till 
six.  All  moneys  for  the  College,  Orphanage,  etc.,  are  sent 
direct  to  Mr.  Spurgeon,  who  is  the  paymaster-general. 

“  ‘  It  is  my  constant  labor,’  said  Mr.  Spurgeon,  ‘  to  thrust 
off  some  portion  of  my  work  on  other  shoulders,  but  it  all 
comes  back  upon  me.  The  more  I  do,  the  more  there  is 
to  do. 

“  The  study  is  a  work-a-day  room,  the  w'alls  lined  with 
books,  and  the  spacious  table  in  the  centre  bearing  abundant 
traces  of  work  and  wear.  Mr.  Spurgeon,  in  a  white  felt 
wide-awake  and  a  light  alpaca  garden  coat,  talked  pleas¬ 
antly.  A  genial,  hearty  man,  full  of  shrev'dness  and 
humor,  whose  character  has  broadened  and  deepened  as  he 
has  made  his  way  through  life ;  and  who,  having  lived 
down  the  calumnies  with  which  he  was  almost  overwhelmed 
at  first,  now  marvels  most  of  all  at  the  all-encompassing 
atmosphere  of  reverence  and  love  in  which  he  spends  his 
life.  Mr  Spurgeon  has  mellowed  much  with  time. 

“  His  library  is  a  spacious  room,  surrounded  with  books 
from  floor  to  ceiling,  in  the  best  condition  and  in  excellent 
order.  The  most  interesting  corner  is  that  in  which  are  his 
own  works  in  various  languages — his  collection  of  pamph¬ 
lets,  his  scrap-books,  and  last,  but  by  no  means  least,  his 
most  amusing  collection  of  all  the  portraits  and  caricatures 
of  himself  which  have  been  published  since  he  began  his 
ministry.  The  Spurgeon  pamphlets  form  several  volumes. 


230 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


At  first,  they  are  chiefly  abusive,  but  as  time  advanced,  this 
abuse  died  away,  and  eulogy,  at  the  end,  becomes  almost  as 
monotonous  as  vituperation. 

“  Among  the  treasures,  is  a  relic  of  Dr.  Livingstone.  It 
was  one  of  ‘  Spurgeon’s  Sermons,’  which  the  great  explorer 
carried  through  Africa  till  his  death.  It  bears  the  inscrip¬ 
tion  in  Livingstone’s  handwriting — ‘  Very  good — D.  L.’  ” 

Into  their  home  came,  in  the  providence  of  God,  joys  and  , 
sorrows  which  elevate  and  purify.  October  2,  1879,  Mrs. 
Spurgeon  writes  : 

“  Committed  to  the  faithful  keeping  of  his  father’s  God, 
our  precious  son  [Thomas],  sails  to-day  for  his  second  visit 
to  Australia.  The  cold  and  damp  of  our  English  winter 
made  us  fear  for  his  somewhat  delicate  constitution.  .  .  . 
Give  the  winds  and  the  waves  charge  concerning  him,  O 
Lord.” 

In  1884,  the  son  returned,  though  a  few  weeks  too  late 
for  the  Jubilee.  Thursday  evening,  July  10th,  Mrs.  Spur¬ 
geon  writes : 

“About  ten  this  evening,  my  darling  son  was  in  my  arms. 
The  pain  of  five  years’  absence  was  almost  annihilated. 
Sixteen  thousand  miles  to  come  home  to  see  father  and 
mother !  Many  prayers  were  ascending  to  heaven  from  both 
sides  of  the  world  that  a  safe  and  prosperous  voyage  might 
be  vouchsafed  to  the  beloved  traveler.” 

And  the  son  records  a  special  instance  in  which  these 
petitions  were  answered.  At  Adelaide,  the  good  ship  Iberia 
lay  from  Sunday  morning  till  Monday  noon,  and  Mr. 
Thomas  Spurgeon  was  enabled  to  spend  the  Lord’s  Day 
with  the  Lord’s  people.  On  Monday,  owing  to  misinforma¬ 
tion,  he  reached  the  pier  too  late  for  the  last  steam  launch 
for  the  great  steamer.  Soon  they  saw  her  anchor  weighed, 


Westwood. 


Page  233, 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  233 

and  she  was  off.  Meanwhile,  a  friend  had  gone  to  the 
Semaphore  and  had  signaled  the  ship : 

“  For  every  sake,  stop  !  A  son  of  the  best  parents  in  all 
the  world  wants  to  get  home  to  them,  and  cannot  wait  an 
extra  fortnight !  ” 

The  son  had  charted  a  steam  launch  and  was  in  pursuit 
of  the  Iberia,  which  all  the  time  was  growing  smaller  and 
smaller.  The  skipper  of  the  launch  told  them  that  it  was  a 
mail  steamer  ;  that  a  little  before  she  had  refused  to  stop  for 
fifteen  passengers ;  and  that  she  would  not  stop  for  the 
Governor  himself.  But,  suddenly,  “She’s  heading  round  !  ” 
Her  stern  gave  place  to  her  bow,  and  she  bore  down  upon 
the  launch.  Soon  he  was  on  board  and  headed  for  London. 
The  fourth  officer  had  seen  the  signal,  though  it  was  not 
customary  to  look  out  for  signals  when  quitting  port. 

“  The  Lord  had  put  his  hand  on  the  steering  gear  of  the 
captain’s  heart,  and  made  him  give  the  signal,  ‘  Hard  a 
port.’  ” 

Just  far  enough  from  London  to  be  out  of  the  way  of 
idlers,  j  list  near  enough  to  be  reached  by  those  who  loved 
Mr.  Spurgeon  or  had  an  errand  with  him,  Westwood  or 
Beulah  received  into  its  gates  many  of  the  Lord’s  people, 
sometimes  dignitaries,  sometimes  students  from  the  college, 
sometimes  very  humble  laborers  in  the  Lord’s  field.  One 
of  his  evangelists  says  : 

“  How  he  delighted  to  gather  about  him  there  a  little 
band  of  brethren,  and  after  the  evening  meal  propose  a  few 
‘  tales  of  mercy  ’ !  With  what  interest  he  would  listen  to 
each  in  turn,  and  the  starting  tear  would  soon  tell  how  his 
tender  trusting  heart  was  touched.  What  ‘  tales  of  mercy  ’ 
he  could  tell !  Can  we  ever  forget  them?  How  they  come 
crowding  the  memory.” 


19 


234 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


At  another  time,  he  would  take  his  visitors  to  the  pond 
and  show  them  the  swans,  which  followed  him  around  as  he 
walked  on  the  bank ;  or  he  would  show  them  the  stable, 
saying,  “  You  might  eat  your  dinner  off  the  floor ;  every¬ 
thing  is  so  clean.”  The  straw  in  the  stalls  was  braided  just 
behind  the  horses,  so  that  it  might  almost  be  said  the  stalls 
were  carpeted.  Over  the  stalls  were  the  names  of  the  two 
ponies,  “  Brownie  ”  and  “  Beauty.”  “  My  horses,”  he  said, 
“are  under  the  law;  they  observe  Saturday.  I  never  have 
them  out  on  that  day,  whatever  may  happen.”  But  on 
Sunday  they  carried  him  to  the  Tabernacle. 

Nature  rested  and  relaxed  him;  he  was  sportive  and  full 
of  cheer  ;  but  his  humor  always  had  a  meaning. 

“  Are  you  troubled  in  your  country  with  these  sinless 
people?”  he  said  to  an  American  visitor.  “I  had  two  of 
them  at  work  for  me.  But  at  last  I  said  to  them,  ‘  Y on 
come  late  in  the  morning ;  you  go  away  early  in  the  after¬ 
noon.  And  in  the  time  between  you  spoil  my  shrubs.’  So 
I  got  rid  of  them  ;  and  now  I  have  two  sinners  at  work,  and 
everything  is  in  good  order.” 

We  quote  again  from  the  visitor,  whose  letters  we  have 
already  used : 

“  After  seeing  the  Orphanage  thoroughly,  we  drove  over 
Clapham  Common,  covered  with  gorse,  and  through  Surrey 
to  Beulah  Hill.  Mr.  Spurgeon  showed  the  guests  his  fernery, 
in  which  he  takes  much  delight,  his  garden  and  farm,  his 
cows  and  other  stock.  There  are  ten  cows.  This  department 
is  under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  who  from  the  profit  of 
the  cows  supports  a  colporteur  in  the  neighborhood. 

“  Then  we  walked,  or  sat  on  a  rural  bench,  or  under  the 
arbor,  and  talked.  It  was  indescribably  delightful  to  hear 
from  him  and  Mrs.  Spurgeon  reminiscences  of  the  early  days. 


Mr.  Spdrgeon  in  His  Study.  Page  229. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


237 


“I  had  not  thought  of  staying  beyond  the  afternoon ;  but 
Mr.  Spurgeon  said:  ‘You  are  not  here  very  often;  now, 
stay  to  tea.’  I  was  willingly  persuaded ;  we  had  pears, 
peaches,  plums,  and  honey,  all  from  his  own  garden.  After 
tea,  the  family,  with  the  servants,  were  called  together  for 
family  prayers.  I  would  not  have  missed  this  for  anything. 
He  read  the  part  of  the  twenty-third  chapter  of  Luke,  which 
tells  of  the  young  ruler  who  came  to  the  Lord.  As  he  read, 
he  commented  with  his  wonted  freshness,  and  now  and  then 
quaintness.  This  was,  throughout,  a  sweet,  lovely  service. 

“  Then  we  had  further  talk.  He  showed  me  a  little  volume, 
‘  Norcott  on  Baptism,’ to  which  he  wrote  an  introduction; 
it  has  been  translated  into  Turkish  and  Armenian  and  Bul¬ 
garian ;  and  as  a  result  Baptists  are  springing  up  in  those 
regions. 

“Mrs.  Spurgeon  also  kindly  allowed  me  to  see  her  work¬ 
shop,  where  she  does  all  the  correspondence  about  the  Book 
Fund,  and  also  the  little  store-room  where  the  books  are 
kept,  and  where  the  parcels  are  done  up. 

“  As  I  was  coming  away,  Mr.  Spurgeon  directed  my  atten¬ 
tion  to  a  few  of  the  pictures  in  the  hall,  representing  scenes 
in  the  Reformation.  He  has  four  or  five  hundred  of  them. 
He  delights  in  all  that  illustrates  and  honors  these  heroes — 
Calvin,  Beza,  Luther,  and  the  rest  of  the  Lord’s  chosen  men 
at  arms.  He  sometimes  lends  the  collection  to  churches  as 
an  aid  in  raising  money. 

“  Everything  must  have  an  end.  The  ‘Spurgeon  Day’ 
was  at  its  close.  I  left  the  land  of  Beulah  and  returned  to 
the  great  city,  thanking  God  for  the  blessing  granted  to  the 
world  through  these  his  servants,  and  asking  for  them  every 
blessing,  earthly  and  heavenly.” 

Later  Mr.  Spurgeon  kindly  expressed  a  desire  to  see  me 


LIFE  OF  SPUE G EON. 


238 

again  before  he  went  to  Mentone  and  I  to  America.  So  I 
gladly  went  Wednesday,  November  3,  to  Beulah  Hill. 
We  drove  first  by  the  large  common  of  the  town  of  Croy¬ 
don.  All  along  there  were  delightful  bits  of  wood ;  the 
brackens  (or  ferns)  had  withered ;  the  forest  leaves  were 
fading.  This  suggested  to  Mr.  Spurgeon  the  remark  that  the 
words  of  Scriptures,  “  we  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf”  (Isaiah  64  :  6) 
do  not  refer  to  the  decay  of  life  (as  is  implied  by  the  use  or¬ 
dinary  made  of  the  words),  but  to  the  decay  of  our  supposed 
righteousness  and  morality.  “We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf; 
and  our  iniquities,  like  the  wind,  have  taken  us  away.”  We 
think  that  we  are  righteous,  but  presently,  under  the  pres¬ 
sure  of  temptation,  our  moral  strength  fades  and  we  are 
swept  before  the  current  of  passion. 

Beyond  Croydon  is  the  Palace  of  the  Archbishop  of  Can¬ 
terbury.  Mr.  Spurgeon  receives  each  year  a  card  permit¬ 
ting  him  to  ride  through  the  grounds.  When  he  last  wrote 
asking  for  the  renewal  of  the  card,  he  enclosed  a  return  en¬ 
velope  addressed  simply  “  C.  H.  Spurgeon.”  But  another 
envelope  was  returned,  addressed  “  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon,” 
and  the  card  made  out  in  the  same  form.  This  little  inci¬ 
dent  is  to  be  noted,  especially  in  connection  with  the  fact 
that  “  Lodge’s  Peerage  and  Baronetage,”  in  the  chapter 
upon  “titles,”  says  that  Dissenting  Ministers  are  not  clergy¬ 
men,  and  are  not  entitled  to  be  addressed  as  “  Rev.,”  but 

should  be  addressed  “  Mr.  A.  B.,  minister  of  the - 

Dissenting  Chapel.”  I  am  glad  that  the  Primate  of  all 
England  rises  above  this  foolish  and  offensive  nonsense. 

As  a  further  illustration  of  the  courtesy  of  his  neighbors, 
when  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  very  ill,  one  of  the  first  to  call  was 
Dr.  Thorold,  then  Lord  Bishop  of  Rochester  (in  whose 
diocese  Upper  Norwood  and  Croydon  are  situated).  He 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


239 


said  :  “  I  would  like  to  see  Brother  Spurgeon,  if  he  will  see 

me;  and  I  would  like  to  pray  with  him.”  As  soon  as 
Mr.  Spurgeon  was  able  to  be  out,  the  Bishop  invited  him  to 
his  home  for  a  day.  Other  visitors  were  denied,  and  they 
walked  in  the  grounds  and  talked  and  prayed  together. 

Presently,  the  weather,  which  had  been  undecided  and 
wavering  and  feminine,  really  made  up  its  mind ;  and  rain 
began  to  come  down,  and  we  made  the  best  of  our  way 
home.  We  were  a  little  late  to  dinner,  but  Mrs.  Spurgeon 
(a  born  angel)  did  not  reprove  John  Ploughman  ;  and  he,  on 
his  part,  expressed  with  touching  humility  his  gratitude  to 
the  gude-wife  for  waiting  dinner  till  he  came. 

He  makes  little  jests  about  his  abstinence  from  meat. 
He  once  said  to  some  friends  at  his  table :  .  .  . 

“  I  will  give  you  ten  pounds  if  you  will  prove  to  me 
that  that  grouse  is  a  vegetable,  for  then  I  can  eat  it.” 

Of  course,  everybody  knows  Mr.  Spurgeon  as  the  great 
preacher,  as  the  great  power  for  evangelical  religion  in 
England,  but  not  everybody  knows  that  he  is  the  most  de¬ 
lightful  of  friends  and  the  most  genial  of  companions. 

On  the  following  Sunday  morning  I  attended  service  at 
the  Tabernacle  and  remained  to  the  Lord’s  Supper.  Then, 
as  I  took  him  by  the  hand  for  good-bye,  he  said,  in  his 
kind,  cheerful  way : 

“  If  you  will  come  over  here  and  start  a  paper  we  will  all 
take  it.” 

And  that  was  the  last  to  me. 

Beulah  was  not  alone  the  home  of  Mr.  Spurgeon.  It  was 
the  centre  of  that  wonderful  agency,  born  in  the  heart  of  a 
suffering  woman — the  Book  Fund.  In  1874,  after  reading 
the  first  volume  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  “  Lectures  to  My  Stu¬ 
dents,”  Mrs.  Spurgeon  exclaimed : 


240 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


“  I  wish  I  could  place  it  in  the  hands  of  every  minister 
in  England.” 

Thereto  “John  Ploughman,”  with  his  wonted  homely  di¬ 
rectness,  said : 

“  Then,  why  not  do  it?  How  much  will  you  give?  ” 

His  words  set  her  to  thinking  how  much  she  could  spare 
from  housekeeping  or  personal  matters.  As  the  result,  she 
produced  exactly  enough  to  pay  for  a  hundred  copies  of  the 
book ;  and,  in  her  own  words,  “  The  Book  Fund  was  in¬ 
augurated.”  The  hundred  copies  were  eagerly  received 
and  applications  for  other  copies  came  pouring  in.  And 
there  came,  from  generous  hands,  gifts  in  money  soon  amount¬ 
ing  to  one  hundred  and  eighty -two  pounds. 

In  August,  1876,  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  in  “A  Letter  to  Her 
Friends,”  published  in  “The  Sword  and  Trowel,”  told  the 
story  of  the  first  year  of  the  Book  F und.  Three  thousand  and 
fifty-eight  books  had  been  distributed  to  ministers  whose  sal¬ 
aries  were  seventy  pounds,  sixty  pounds,  or  even  less  than 
fifty  pounds.  The  Book  Fund,  springing  thus,  without 
human  forethought,  into  existence,  was  the  product  of 
divine  wisdom  and  of  God’s  thought  for  his  servants.  If 
money  is  given  to  a  minister,  there  are  a  hundred  calls  for 
every  penny,  and  soon  all  is  gone  ;  and,  beyond  a  present 
lessening  of  hardship,  all  is  as  before.  The  man’s  earning 
capacity  is  no  greater  ;  his  mind  is  starved  without  books  ; 
what  can  he  do  but  starve  his  people,  and  they,  in  turn, 
starve  him?  But  the  gift  of  books,  timely,  suggestive,  ap¬ 
propriate,  furnishing  him  with  new  material,  helps  him  to 
think.  All  this  makes  him  a  new  man.  The  people  rub 
their  eyes  and  say,  “  What  has  come  over  the  minister  ?  ” 
and  presently  they  feel  that  his  stipend  must  be  raised. 
He  feeds  them,  and  they,  in  turn,  feed  him. 


Mrs.  Spurgeon. 


Page  240. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


243 


A  missionary  from  Jamaica  wrote:  “It  is  a  joy  to  hear 
one  of  the  brethren  say,  ‘  De  lady  ob  de  great  Massa  Spurgem 
gib  me  dis  book  tro’  de  Siety !  ’  ” 

A  newly  ordained  curate  of  the  Church  of  England,  who 
had  received  “  Lectures  to  my  Students,”  said,  “  How  Mr. 
Spurgeon  does  show  up  our  bad  habits !  ” 

The  Lord  constantly  opened  new  doors,  sent  new  calls, 
and  provided  the  means  for  meeting  them.  A  “  pastor,  with 
his  sickly  wife,  and  three  mites  of  children,”  must  go  to 
Australia,  as  the  only  chance  for  the  father’s  life.  But  how 
could  he  get  there?  Sixteen  pounds  was  lacking,  after 
every  resource  had  been  taxed.  Just  then,  John  Plowman 
received  a  personal  gift  of  fifteen  pounds  from  an  unknown 
friend,  and  the  voyage  could  be  made. 

The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  asked,  when  on  a  visit  to  Air. 
and  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  “How  does  the  Baptist  book-giving 
prosper?”  Mrs.  Spurgeon  was  able  to  tell  him  that  of  four 
hundred  ministers  who  had  received  books  within  the  past 
four  months,  j  ust  one-fourth  were  of  her  “  own  people.” 

A  Vicar  writes :  “  Last  night  I  read  nearly  all  of  the  first 
volume  of  ‘  Lectures  to  Students  ’  with  immense  delight 
and  satisfaction.” 

During  the  year  1880,  seven  thousand  one  hundred  and 
forty-four  volumes  were  given  away,  and  six  thousand  two 
hundred  and  sixty-two  sermons.  February,  1881,  Mrs. 
Spurgeon  wrote :  “  There  is  quite  a  run  of  applications  upon 
the  Book  Fund  from  clergymen  of  the  Established  Church.” 
A  curate  said:  “After  opening  your  parcel,  I  could  not 
help  kneeling  down  and  thanking  God,  who  is  the  giver  of 
every  good  and  perfect  gift.” 

“  A  new  source  of  pleasure  in  my  work  is  the  application 
of  many  High  Church  clergymen  for  gifts  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s 


244 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


works.”  One  wrote :  “  I  am  an  ordained  priest  of  tlie 
Church  of  England.  I  am  engaged  at  a  stipend  of  thirty 
pounds  per  annum  in  two  villages.  On  the  second  Sunday 
in  Lent  I  was  needing  a  text,  when  I  suddenly  remembered 
Mr.  Spurgeon’s  sermon  on  ‘The  Three  Thens’  (Isaiah 
6  :  1-8),  and  I  gave  it  as  a  morning’s  discourse.  The 
majority  of  the  people  were  so  pleased  that,  during  the  nine 
Sundays  I  was  there,  the  church  was  full  every  afternoon. 
Might  I  respectfully  beg  the  favor  of  a  few  of  the  earlier 
volumes  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  sermons?  ” 

A  missionary  from  the  West  Indies  said:  ‘The  sermons 
have  been  a  treasure  to  me  for  fifteen  years.  Many  a  one 
have  I  put  through  my  own  little  mill,  and  then  given  it  to 
the  people,  and  when  they  have  said,  ‘  Oh,  massa,  it  be  one 
berry  good  sarmont,’  I  have  thought  to  myself,  ‘  Yes,  it 
ought  to  be,  and  I  don’t  wonder  you  like  it !  ’  ” 

In  1881,  seven  thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-eight 
volumes  were  given. 

Along  with  the  books,  Mrs.  Spurgeon  often  sent  packages 
of  stationery.  A  minister  who  had  received  a  package 
wrote :  “  Surely  I  thought,  this  is  from  one  who  understands 
a  preacher’s  needs ;  for  I  have  to  write  very  frequently  on 
the  backs  of  old  circulars  and  cut  open  all  addressed  envel¬ 
opes,  in  order  to  save  spending  the  money,  of  which  I  have 
so  little.” 

Another  writes :  “  I  found  your  splendid  gift  of  books 
awaiting  me;  and,  though  weary  in  body  and  mentally 
depressed,  the  sight  of  them  was  so  refreshing  that,  as  I 
turned  over  the  treasures,  one  by  one,  though  it  was  past 
midnight,  I  felt  as  if  I  could  sing  aloud  for  joy.  I  went  on 
my  knees  and  thanked  God  for  his  great  goodness  to  me 
through  you.” 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


245 


A  minister,  who  had  received  “  The  Treasury  of  David,” 
wrote :  “  I  had  heard  of  the  books  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear, 
but  never  did  I  think  I  should  possess  them  as  a  free  gift. 
O  Lord,  I  thank  thee!  Thou  hast  crowned  me  with  loving 
kindness  and  tender  mercies.  A  beggar  knocks  at  the  door 
and  receives  a  slice  of  dry  bread  ;  this  is  kindness.  But 
little  Johnny  gets  a  slice  with  butter  on  it ;  ah,  my  soul, 
this  is  loving  kindness,  bread  with  butter.” 

In  1884,  Mrs.  Spurgeon  wrote  that  over  twelve  thousand 
ministers  had  received  grants  from  the  Book  Fund.  The 
benefits  of  the  fund  were  not  limited  to  England ;  but  min¬ 
isters  in  China,  Palestine,  Norway,  Trinidad,  Hayti,  Africa, 
in  every  land,  were  blessed. 

And  so  the  Book  Fund  went  on,  cheering,  blessing,  en¬ 
lightening,  strengthening.  Thus  the  gracious  lady,  who 
was  its  inspiration  and  author,  passing  through  the  valley 
of  weeping,  made  it  a  place  of  springs. 

During  its  first  fifteen  years,  the  Book  Fund  distributed 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  thousand  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  volumes,  besides  sermons  innumerable.  And, 
all  this  God  wrought  through  one  who  was  an  invalid, 
seldom  passing  a  day  without  pain. 

In  “  The  Sword  and  Trowel  ”  fpr  April,  1892,  under  title 
of  “An  Interrupted  Service,”  Mrs.  Spurgeon  writes  as  to 
her  plan  for  the  future  of  her  Book  Fund : 

“A  pleasant  life-work  laid  aside,  that  the  sweet,  sad  min¬ 
istry  of  love  to  my  precious  husband  might  be  constantly 
and  tenderly  fulfilled ;  first,  by  his  bed  of  terrible  sickness, 
in  the  spring  and  summer-time  ;  then,  with  expectant  joy, 
by  his  side  in  the  bright  three  months  at  Mentone  :  and 
after  that,  till  the  close  of  that  memorable  January  31, 
1892,  when  his  Saviour  could  no  longer  spare  him  to  us, 


246 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


but  ‘  willed  ’  that  he  should  be  with  him  where  he  is,  that 
he  might  ‘  behold  his  glory.’  Such  is  the  brief,  sorrowful 
record  of  the  Book  Fund  for  the  past  twelve  months. 

“A  month’s  seclusion  in  one  of  the  fairest  of  earth’s 
Paradises  has  somewhat  soothed  the  surgings  of  sorrow  in 
my  sold,  and  strengthened  me  physically  for  renewed  ser¬ 
vice.  ‘  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord ;  and  he  inclined 
unto  me,  and  heard  my  cry.’  So  now  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  time  has  come  to  resume  my  work  ;  and  I  believe  God 
will  help  me  to  fulfill  my  earnest  desire  to  do  his  will  in  all 
things,  and  serve  him  faithfully,  even  unto  death.  As  long 
as  I  have  life,  the  Book  Fund  must  be  my  life-work;  and 
I  expect  to  be  able  to  increase  its  usefulness,  and  scatter  its 
blessings  more  widely,  if  health  be  granted  me. 

“  By  the  time  this  ‘  note  ’  is  published,  I  shall  be  ready 
(d.  v.)  to  receive  donations  from  all  dear  friends  willing  to 
help  in  this  important  service,  and  also  applications  for 
books  from  ministers  who  are  unable  to  purchase  them  for 
themselves. 

“  S.  Spurgeon. 

“‘Westwood,’  Beulah  Hill,  Upper  Norwood.” 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  BURDEN  OF  LIFE. 


X  February  25, 1886,  Mr.  Spurgeon  wrote,  “I  am  well, 


vy  but  this  gigantic  work  must  crush  me  sooner  or  later 
— sooner,  if  the  wind  continues  in  the  east  much  longer.” 
But  the  burden  of  the  gigantic  work  was  bravely  borne  for 
years  to  come ;  indeed,  how  could  it  he  laid  aside  with  the 
Tabernacle  and  the  College  and  the  Orphans  and  the  wit¬ 
nessing  for  the  truth,  and  all  the  forms  of  work  resting  upon 
him  ? 

He  had  always  been  greatly  recruited  by  three  months  in 
each  year  spent  at  Mentone,  in  the  South  of  France,  on  the 
shore  of  the  Mediterranean.  Here  he  was  secluded  from 
interruptions  ;  he  could  bathe  all  day  in  the  sun  ;  he  could 
watch  the  ever  changing  blue  Mediterranean.  He  could 
read  the  sacred  word,  could  saturate  his  mind  with  its  spirit, 
could  write  for  “The  Sword  and  Trowel,”  could  revise  his 
sermons,  could  gather  a  few  friends  to  his  rooms  for  daily 
prayer  and  reading  of  the  Scripture,  and  for  the  familiar 
commenting  in  which  he  delighted,  and  could  have  a  more 
formal  service  on  Sunday.  Many  visitors,  drawn,  like  him¬ 
self,  to  Mentone  in  quest  of  health,  will  always  bless  God 
for  the  high  privilege  of  forming  one  of  the  little  company 
who  united  with  him  in  worship,  in  the  opening  of  the  word 
of  God,  and  in  the  breaking  of  bread. 

During  the  earlier  months  of  the  year  1891,  Mr.  Spurgeon 
had  a  severe  attack  of  the  prevalent  influenza,  combined  with 


247 


248 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


the  hereditary  rheumatic  gout  and  with  congestion  of  the 
kidneys,  which  greatly  prostrated  him.  When  somewhat 
l'ecovered,  toward  the  close  of  May,  he  made  a  little  visit  to 
Stambourne,  one  of  the  homes  of  his  boyhood,  where  he 
passed  a  few  very  happy  days  in  the  society  of  the  venera¬ 
ble  Mr.  Beddow  (a  descendent  of  one  of  his  grandfather’s 
predecessors),  and  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Houchin,  the  present  pastor 
at  Stambourne.  The  accompanying  cut  of  Mr.  Spurgeon 
and  Mr.  Houchin  tells  how  marked  was  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  ex¬ 
haustion,  though  its  face  shows  its  wonted  kindliness  and 
something  of  its  force  of  will.  But  after  a  few  days, 
another  attack  compelled  him  to  hasten  to  his  home,  where, 
for  three  months,  he  suffered  intensely,  and  was  at  times  in 
hourly  expectation  of  death.  During  these  months,  the 
most  tender  and  affectionate  solicitude  was  felt  all  over 
Christendom,  and  daily  bulletins  of  his  health  were  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  papers.  Constant  prayer  was  offered,  not  only 
by  the  members  of  the  Tabernacle,  but  by  Christians  all 
over  the  world.  These  expressions  of  sympathy  were  not 
limited  by  race  or  creed  or  station.  In  many  instances  the 
members  and  the  clergy  of  the  Establishment  offered  prayer 
in  his  behalf ;  one  of  the  most  tender  expressions  of  sympa¬ 
thy  came  from  a  leading  Jewish  Rabbi. 

Mr.  Gladstone,  sorrowing  under  the  death  of  his  son, 
wrote  to  Mrs.  Spurgeon  a  letter,  which,  with  Mrs.  Spurgeon’s 
reply,  and  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  postscript,  by  his  own  hand,  we 
give  below,  a  memorable  interchange  of  expressions  of  sym¬ 
pathy  between  the  two  greatest  Englishmen  of  our  time : 

My  Dear  Madam  :  In  my  own  home,  darkened  at  the 
present  time,  I  have  read  with  intense  interest  daily  accounts 
of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  illness  ;  and  I  cannot  help  conveying  to 
you  the  earnest  assurance  of  my  sympathy  with  you,  and 
with  him,  and  of  my  cordial  admiration,  not  only  of  his 


Mr.  Spvrgeon  and  Mr.  Houcbin. 


Page  248. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


251 


splendid  powers,  but  still  more  of  his  devoted  and  unfailing 
character.  May  I  humbly  commend  you  and  him,  in  all 
contingencies,  to  the  infinite  stores  of  the  divine  love  and 
mercy,  and  subscribe  myself,  my  dear  Madam,  faithfully 
yours, 

W.  E.  Gladstone. 

Westwood,  Upper  Norwood,  18  July,  1891. 

Dear  Mr.  Gladstone  :  Your  words  of  sympathy  have  a 
special  significance  and  tenderness,  coming  from  one  who 
has  just  passed  through  the  deep  waters  which  seem  now  to 
threaten  me.  I  thank  you  warmly  for  your  expressions  of 
regard  for  my  beloved  husband,  and  with  all  my  heart  I 
pray  that  the  consolations  of  God  may  abound  toward  you, 
even  as  they  do  to  me.  Although  we  cannot  yet  consider 
the  dear  patient  out  of  danger,  the  doctors  have  to-day  is¬ 
sued  a  more  hopeful  bulletin.  I  feel  it  is  an  honor  to  be 
allowed  to  say  that  I  shall  ever  be, 

Your  grateful  friend, 

S.  Spurgeon. 

P.  S. — Yours  is  a  word  of  love,  such  as  those  only  write 
who  have  been  into  the  King’s  country,  and  seen  much  of 
His  face.  My  heart’s  love  to  you. 

C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

The  loving  kindness  of  God  to  his  servant  was  very 
marked  in  one  particular.  Mi’s.  Spurgeon  had  for  many 
years  been  almost  wholly  confined  to  the  house.  Her  hus¬ 
band  said  to  the  writer  of  these  lines : 

“  If  she  were  to  drive  for  a  mile,  she  would  not  get  over 
it  in  weeks.” 

In  consequence  of  this,  for  many  years  she  was  unable 
to  accompany  her  husband  in  his  annual  trips  to  Mentone 
for  his  much  needed  rest  and  change  of  climate.  During 
all  these  years  the  evident  necessity  for  these  vacations 
was  pointing  to  the  end  which  was  drawing  ever  nearer. 

But  as  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  strength  so  far  rallied  as  to  ena¬ 
ble  him  to  go  to  Mentone  again,  Mrs.  Spurgeon  was 

20 


252 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


strengthened  by  God,  and  able,  for  the  first  time,  to  accom¬ 
pany  him  on  his  journey.  This  was  a  great  joy  to  both  of 
them.  In  a  letter  written  on  Sunday,  February  7,  1892, 
Mrs.  Spurgeon  said : 

“  I  want  to  tell  you  how  perfectly  happy  my  beloved 
was  during  the  three  delightful  months  of  his  residence 
here.”  And  she  recalled  “  his  joy  in  bringing  me  to  the 
place  he  loved  so  well,  and  showing  me  eagerly  all  the 
beautiful  scenery  in  which  he  so  delighted.” 

It  is  not  easy  to  conceive  what  a  sadly  anxious  season  it 
would  have  been  for  both,  if  this  year  also,  when  he  was 
directed  to  betake  himself  for  the  winter  to  far  away  Men¬ 
tone,  he  must  leave  her  weak,  lonely,  and  full  of  deep 
anxiety  at  Westwood.  It  was  an  unspeakable  blessing 
that  she  could  go  with  him  and  see  him  day  by  day  “  per¬ 
fectly  happy,”  and  that  she  can  always  look  back  with  grati¬ 
tude  to  God,  who  graciously  granted  those  “  three  delightful 
months,  ”at  the  close  of  a  life  abounding  in  toils  and  trials. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  YEARNINGS  OP  THE  ABSENT  PASTOR. 

MR.  SPURGEON  in  the  autumn  of  1891  spent  some 
time  at  Eastbourne  in  Sussex,  not  far  from  Beachy 
Head.  He  returned  to  his  home  October  16.  The  report 
of  his  return  stated  :  “  The  journey  had  no  ill  effect  upon 
him,  and  the  change  seems  to  have  done  him  good.  Just 
now  his  health  is  somewhat  improved.”  The  next  Lord’s 
Day  the  following  letter,  written  by  himself,  was  read  to 
the  anxious  congregations  at  the  Tabernacle  at  the  morn¬ 
ing  and  the  evening  services  : 

“  To  my  beloved  Hock  at  the  Metropolitan  Tabernacle — 
Dear  Friends  :  Since  you  all  prayed  for  me  so  importun¬ 
ately,  I  would  entreat  you  to  praise  with  me  most  heartily. 
My  stay  by  the  sea  has  wrought  wonders.  I  feel  a  differ¬ 
ent  man  altogether,  and  my  doctor  gives  me  hope  that 
when  I  have  received  a  solid  upbuilding  I  shall  not  be  much 
the  worse  for  the  terrific  processes  through  which  I  have 
passed.  ‘  Oh,  magnify  the  Lord  with  me,  and  let  us  exalt 
his  name  together  !  ’  I  am  very,  very  weak,  and  restoration 
to  strength  must  be  expected  to  be  gradual.  The  inevita¬ 
ble  fall  of  the  temperature  is  a  great  peril  to  me  for  several 
reasons,  and  hence  my  medical  friend  wishes  that  I  were 
away.  I  hope  to  leave  on  Monday,  26th.  Pray  that  I 
may  safely  perform  the  journey,  and  Mrs.  Spurgeon  also.  ‘A 
thousand  miles  ’  is  a  serious  word  for  such  feeble  folk.  ‘  The 
Lord  will  perfect  that  which  concerneth  me,’  and  when  I 

253 


254 


LIFE  OF  SPUIIGEON. 


return  to  you  in  peace  we  will  hold  a  public  thanksgiving, 
and  bless  our  healing  God.  I  shall  leave  you  in  the  hands 
of  our  God.  As  a  Church  of  the  living  God,  you  are  as 
‘a  city  set  on  a  hill  which  cannot  be  hid.’  Your  love  and 
unity  and  prayer  and  faith  are  known  everywhere. 

“  Will  these  bear  the  further  strain  which  will  be  put 
upon  them  by  the  absence  and  feebleness  of  the  pastor  ?  I 
I  believe  they  will ;  but  let  each  one  see  to  it  that  the  post 
of  service  with  which  he  or  she  may  be  individually  con¬ 
cerned,  is  carried  on  with  more  than  past  efficiency.  Souls 
must  be  saved,  and  Jesus  glorified,  whether  the  usual  leader 
is  present,  or  another,  or  no  leader  at  all.  The  Lord  hear 
my  prayer  for  you,  even  as  he  has  heard  yours  for  me !  I 
am  far  too  feeble  to  make  any  public  appearance  or  I  would 
come  and  plead  that  now  in  the  hour  of  your  testing  you 
may  be  found  as  pure  gold  which  fears  not  the  continuance 
of  the  heat.  I  beg  your  co-operation  with  my  brother  and 
Mr.  Stott,  and  the  officers  in  all  the  regular  work  and  ser¬ 
vice  for  the  Lord.  Let  nothing  flag. 

“  There  may  be  some  deficiencies  to  be  made  up  on  my 
return,  but  let  these  be  as  light  as  possible.  If  friends 
took  the  seats  there  would  be  none.  I  am  not  going  to 
burden  myself  with  any  care.  I  leave  the  flock  with  the 
great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  and  I  feel  that  you  will  be 
both  led  and  fed.  The  Lord  grant  that,  whether  I  speak 
or  am  silent,  rejoice  or  suffer,  live  or  die,  all  may  be  to  his 
glory  and  the  progress  of  his  gospel.  I  am  a  debtor  now 
to  all  churches  and  to  all  classes  of  society.  The  sympathy 
shown  me  every  day  almost  breaks  my  heart  with  gratitude. 
What  am  I  ?  One  thing  I  know  I  am  your  loving  servant 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  the  Lord’s  messenger  to  many,  many 
souls  who  never  saw  me,  but  who  have  read  the  sermons. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  255 

To  you  at  the  Tabernacle  I  am  very  near  of  kin.  God 
bless  you  all. — Yours  in  our  One  Head.” 

On  Monday,  October  26,  as  he  had  expected,  he  left  the 
home  to  which  he  was  never  to  return,  and  arrived  safely 
at  Calais.  On  the  following  day  the  long  journey  was  re¬ 
sumed  in  a  saloon  car  belonging  to  Baron  Rothschild  and 
kindly  placed  by  him  at  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  disposal.  From 
Paris  a  telegram  was  sent  back  by  one  who  saw  him,  say¬ 
ing  :  “  He  was  beaming  with  brightness  and  gratitude, 
and  said  he  had  gained,  not  lost,  strength  on  the  journey.” 
The  following  day  Mr.  Spurgeon  telegraphed :  “  Reached 
Marseilles  comfortably ;  wife  fatigued.  I  am  better  than 
at  start.  All  praise  God.”  In  his  first  letter  from  the 
Continent  to  the  Tabernacle  he  said : 

“  My  Dear  Friends  :  If  I  do  not  write  you  to-day,  which 
is  only  Wednesday,  I  could  not  get  a  letter  to  you  for  Sun¬ 
day.  This  might  be  no  loss  to  you,  but  it  would  be  a 
trouble  to  me,  for  somehow  it  has  grown  to  be  a  pleasing 
habit  to  keep  touch  with  you  by  a  weekly  letter. 

“  Please  praise  the  Lord  for  me  and  with  me.  I  feel  none 
the  worse  for  the  long  journey  I  have  already  taken ;  but 
I  am  strangely  better.  All  the  story  of  my  cure  has  been 
marvelous,  and  this  last  part  of  it  is  all  of  a  piece  with 
the  rest.  ‘  He  restoreth  my  soul  ’  and  ‘  he  healeth  all  my 
diseases.’  Let  the  name  of  the  Lord  be  magnified,  who 
has  such  compassion  on  one  who  feels  his  own  unworthi¬ 
ness  more  than  ever.  ‘  I  was  brought  low,  and  he  helped 
me.’ 

“  My  doctor  has  reported  my  case  to  my  friend,  Dr.  Fitz- 
henry,  of  Mentone,  who  is  a  man  of  equal  skill  and  kind¬ 
ness — a  happy  blend  ;  so  that  none  of  you  may  think  that 
I  am  distant  from  medical  help  if  any  return  of  disease 


25G 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


should  come.  But  I  do  not  anticipate  further  relapses,  for 
the  temperature  even  here  is  like  that  of  summer,  and 
further  on  we  look  for  much  more  warmth.  This  will  greatly 
diminish  liability  to  chills.  _ 

“  But  my  one  great  restorative  will  be  news  of  revival  at  the 
Tabernacle.  When  sinners  are  saved  and  saints  are  sancti¬ 
fied  my  sun  will  have  risen  with  healing  on  its  wings.  If 
the  Lord  will  work  by  Dr.  Pierson  and  Mr.  Stott  and  the 
brethren  at  home,  and  make  them  useful  at  a  tenfold  rate 
compared  with  me  in  my  best  days,  I  will  unfeignedly  rejoice. 
‘  Would  God  that  all  the  Lord’s  people  were  prophets !  ’ 
Oh,  that  he  would  use  every  man  and  women  of  you ! 
Those  whom  the  Lord  does  not  use  are  very  apt  to  be  seized 
by  another  and  turned  to  his  evil  purposes.  Those  who  are 
not  working  bees  usually  turn  into  dead  flies,  and  spoil  the 
sweet  ointments  by  the  potful  at  a  time.  May  no  one  in 
our  church  sink  into  such  a  wretched  condition  ;  far  rather 
may  we  be  so  blest  as  to  become  blessings  to  all  around ! 

“  Brethren  and  sisters,  can  you  rise  to  a  great  oppor¬ 
tunity  ?  I  think  you  can,  and  will.  My  beloved  brother 
from  America  has  not  been  sent  into  your  midst  for  a  small 
purpose.  If  you  knew  the  whole  story  of  how  he  came  to 
be  where  he  now  is,  you  would  feel  this  as  strongly  as  I  do. 
He  brings  the  divine  proffer  of  a  great  blessing.  Are  we 
ready  to  receive  it?  Are  we  prepared  to  use  a  flood  tide  ? 
Oh,  that  every  member  may  say,  ‘  I  am  !  ’  Then  ask  what 
you  will,  believe  that  you  have  it,  and  go  forth  to  ingather 
it.  God  never  disappoints.  We  often  lock  doors  against 
ourselves  and  refuse  to  be  enriched.  Let  us  do  so  no  more 
— not  one  of  us.  Let  us  glorify  God  by  accepting  what  he 
is  waiting  to  bestow. 

“  Accept  each  one  my  true  love  in  Christ  Jesus.  Love 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


257 


one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fervently.  My  brother, 
whose  care  has  made  the  journey  less  formidable,  when 
he  returns  will  have  a  cheering  tale  to  tell  of  me  and  of 
my  dear  wife,  whose  presence  with  me  makes  every  single 
enjoyment  into  seven.  I  am  surrounded  with  unexpected 
mercies,  and  would  ask  you  to  help  me  to  express  a  praise 
which  one  mouth  can  never  adequately  utter.” 

“  Mentone,  November  5. 

“  To  the  Tabernacle — Beloved  Friends  :  To  reach 
you  on  the  Lord’s  Day  I  write  on  Thursday.  You  wish  to 
know  how  I  am,  and  I  will  dispatch  the  weary  question  in  a 
few  words.  I  am  much  the  same  as  when  I  left  home,  full 
of  confidence  that  in  answer  to  prayer  I  shall  be  perfectly 
restored.  I  must  wait  patiently  in  weakness  till  our 
Heavenly  Father  gives  me  back  my  strength.  It  is  no 
small  trial  to  feel  the  desire  to  do  many  things,  and  yet  to 
have  to  feel  anew  your  inability  in  the  simplest  efforts.  To 
go  up  a  few  steps,  to  take  a  short  walk,  to  move  a  parcel, 
and  all  such  trifles,  becomes  a  difficulty,  so  that  Solomon’s 
words  are  true,  ‘  The  grasshopper  is  a  burden.’  I  think  I 
could  preach,  but  when  I  have  seen  a  friend  for  five 
minutes  I  begin  to  feel  that  I  have  had  as  much  of  speak¬ 
ing  as  I  can  well  manage.  Thus  you  see  where  I  am,  and 
while  you  thank  God  for  his  goodness  in  so  far  restoring 
me  I  again  ask  for  your  prayers  that  my  disease  may 
continue  to  decrease,,  and,  above  all,  that  I  may  have  no 
relapse.  Far  better  is  my  other  subject. 

“From  all  I  hear  there  is  a  hopeful  interest  excited  in 
the  ministry  which  the  Lord  has  provided  for  you.  The 
fish  are  round  the  boat.  Now  may  the  Lord  enable  the 
fishermen  to  cast  the  net  skillfully,  and  may  there  be  a 


258 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


great  haul  of  great  fishes.  At  times  the  greatest  demand  of 
the  angler  is  for  a  landing  net.  He  has  a  hold  of  the  fish, 
hut  needs  help  in  drawing  him  to  shore.  May  every  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  church  be  such  a  landing  net  to  the  honored 
preachers  whom  they  hear.  Some  of  you  know  the  sacred 
art  by  long  practice,  let  others  commence  the  blessed  habit. 
Souls  are  being  awakened  all  around  you.  Beloved,  be 
awake  yourselves !  ‘  When  thou  hearest  the  sound  of  a 

going  in  the  tops  of  the  mulberry  trees  then  shalt  thou 
bestir  thyself.’ 

“  I  am  writing  in  the  early  morning  of  a  warm  day  of 
brilliant  sunshine,  and  the  very  thought  of  your  holy 
assembly,  and  your  loving  thoughts  of  me,  makes  all  this 
tenfold  more  powerful  to  cheer  and  to  restore  me.  If  I 
had  not  such  an  attached  people  I  should  miss  my  greatest 
earthly  joy,  and  succumb  to  the  depression  which  physical 
weakness  is  so  apt  to  produce.  My  dear  brother  will  soon 
be  with  you  to  report  my  behavior,  but  I  am  doubly  happy 
in  having  my  beloved  wife  as  my  watchful  companion,  a 
joy  especially  given  in  this  peculiar  hour  of  need.  The 
Lord  himself  bless  every  one  of  you,  and  especially  those 
who  minister  in  word  and  doctrine.” 

“  Mentone,  November  12. 

“Beloved  Friends:  I  have  no  striking  progress  to 
report,  but  I  feel  I  must  be  better,  whatever  the  signs  may 
say.  Still,  feelings  are  doubtful  evidences;  one  thing  is 
daily  forced  upon  my  mind — namely,  that  I  am  weak  as 
water,  and  that  building  up  is  slower  work  than  falling 
down.  Meanwhile,  patience  must  have  her  perfect  work, 
and  I  may  well  be  quieted  into  cheerful  submission  because 
I  receive  such  happy  accounts  of  the  blessing  resting  upon 


LIFE  OF  SrUROEON. 


259 


the  labors  of  my  dear  friend,  Dr.  Pierson.  If  nothing  is 
injured  by  my  absence  the  trial  of  being  away  is  not  bur¬ 
densome.  If  the  Lord  will  bless  my  substitute  more  than 
he  has  done  myself,  I  shall  rejoice  to  have  been  put  aside 
for  awhile.  Now,  in  this  matter,  much  depends  upon  each 
member  personally.  The  Lord  will  bless  you  through  your¬ 
selves.  The  missionary  spirit  burns  in  the  heart  of  Dr. 
Pierson  ;  Mr.  Stott  seems  to  be  always  on  fire  ;  others  among 
your  officers  are  zealots  for  souls.  May  the  whole  man  be 
alight  with  heavenly  fire !  Then  shall  we  see  the  congrega¬ 
tion  and  the  surrounding  neighborhood  warmed  with  interest 
in  the  gospel,  and  at  last  melted  into  repentance  by  the 
heat  of  divine  grace.  I  am  much  at  ease  about  the  testi¬ 
mony  of  my  pulpit,  for  our  friend  Dr.  Pierson  does  not 
flinch  from  defending  truth  and  assailing  false  doctrine. 
From  all  I  can  hear,  I  judge  that  error  is  as  rampant  as 
ever,  and  is  as  much  countenanced  by  the  association  of 
good  men  with  those  who  hold  it.  If  I  had  not  borne  my 
protest  before,  I  should  have  been  driven  to  bear  it  now. 
‘  Evil  men  and  seducers  will  wax  worse  and  worse.’  As  for 
us,  beloved,  let  us  abide  in  that  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
taught  us,  and  may  that  which  he  has  written  in  the  Book 
be  also  written  by  his  own  hand  upon  all  our  hearts.  The 
Lord  himself  bless  you.” 


“  Mentone,  November  19. 

“I  have  very  little  to  say  this  week,  and  nothing  which 
need  cause  you  any  disquietude  on  my  behalf,  though  it 
may  prevent  unwise  expectations.  My  progress,  according 
to  the  medical  test,  is  not  great ;  still,  I  think  things  lean 
in  the  right  direction.  He  who  has  raised  me  up  from  the 
grave  can  hasten  the  cure  if  he  sees  fit ;  and  if  it  does  not 


260 


LIFE  OF  SPUR  OEON. 


seem  good  in  his  sight,  I  must  ask  for  patience  and  be  still. 
I  never  have  a  doubt  as  to  my  ultimate  restoration,  but  my 
confidence  is  based  upon  the  Lord’s  hearing  prayer  far 
more  than  on  anything  else.  The  advice  to  do  as  little  as 
possible  is  so  repeated  to  me  that  for  this  once  I  yield  to  it, 
and  only  send  a  card.  What  spiritual  meat  you  are  hav¬ 
ing  from  the  Lord  through  his  servant,  feed  thereon  and 
grow.” 

November  21st,  he  was  compelled  to  write  a  letter  to 
moderate  and  chasten  the  too  hopeful  expectation  of  his 
friends  :  “  This  morning  I  read  in  the  ‘  Times,’  ‘  Mr.  Spurgeon 
is  rapidly  recovering.’  These  words  exactly  describe  what 
I  am  not  doing.  I  have  seasons  of  utter  prostration.  Em¬ 
phatically  any  advance  I  make  is  the  slowest  of  all  slow 
things.  I  shall  recover,  for  this  is  the  tenor  of  the  prayers 
which  our  God  has  so  far  answered.  But  there  are  no 
traces  or  signs  of  anything  rapid.” 

Truly,  we  “  asked  life  of  thee  and  thou  gavest  it  him, 
even  length  of  days  forevermore.”  It  was  the  temporal 
life  we  asked ;  God  gave  the  eternal. 

“  Mentone,  November  26. 

“Beloved  Friends:  I  rejoice  greatly  in  all  the  glad 
tidings  which  I  have  received  concerning  the  blessing 
which  rests  upon  the  work  among  you.  I  hope  the  Lord 
has  only  begun  to  bless,  and  is  about  to  bring  forth  greater 
things  hitherto  held  in  reserve.  You  are  not  straitened  in 
him  ;  let  no  one  be  guilty  of  limiting  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel  by  unbelief  or  by  slackness  in  action.  Oh,  for  some 
crowning  mercy  for  you  all !  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  bet¬ 
ter,  but  then  I  am  not  worse,  although  I  have  been  kept 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


261 


indoors  by  days  of  rain.  I  am  always  confidently  hope¬ 
ful  of  complete  recovery,  and  therefore  I  faint  not  in  heart, 
even  when  the  body  is  overcome  with  weakness.  In  com¬ 
pensation  for  these  dumb  Sabbaths,  the  Lord  will  give  me 
years  of  free  utterance  of  his  word.  So  I  trust  and  so  you 
pray.  The  Lord  himself  bless  you  all !  ” 

“  Mentone,  December  3. 

“  Beloved  Friends  :  My  heart  is  glad  at  all  tidings 
concerning  you,  for  the  Lord  is  evidently  refreshing  you 
through  the  ministry  of  our  beloved  Dr.  Pierson.  I  can 
only  write  you  a  monotonous  line  or  two,  expressing  my 
abiding  love  for  the  church  at  the  Tabernacle,  asking  your 
renewed  prayers,  and  describing  my  invalid  experience, 
which  is  almost  exactly  as  last  week.  Leaving  all  that,  I 
am  present  with  you  in  spirit  at  the  great  gathering  around 
the  Communion  Table,  which  has  often  been  to  me  as 
heaven  below.  Our  Lord  is  there  among  us.  He  comes 
nearer  to  us  than  we  can  come  to  each  other ;  he  becomes 
our  food,  and  so  enters  into  onr  being’s  self — nearer  than 
even  one  member  of  the  body  to  another  member.  ‘  I  in 
them  ’  is  our  Lord’s  way  of  putting  it.  I  pray  that  each 
one  of  you  may  enjoy  this  living,  loving  lasting  union  with 
your  risen  Lord  when  at  the  table  of  the  King.” 

“  Mentone,  December  10. 

“  Beloved  Friends  :  Every  message  from  home  con¬ 
cerning  the  work  at  the  Tabernacle  comforts  me.  Your 
unity  of  heart  and  prayerfulness  of  spirit  are  a  joy  to  me. 
How  much  I  wish  that  I  could  look  you  in  the  face  and 
lead  you  in  prayer  to  the  throne  of  the  heavenly  grace.  I 
am,  however,  glad  that  I  am  not  yet  standing  on  the  plat- 


262 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


form  among  you  attempting  public  prayer  or  address,  for 
emotion  would  carry  me  away,  and  I  should  soon  be  quite 
exhausted.  I  put  this  to  practical  proof  by  offering  prayer 
with  some  six  or  seven  friends.  I  was  overcome,  and  was 
some  time  before  I  could  recover  myself.  Still,  the  mind  is 
ready,  and  the  physical  frame  must  in  due  time  follow  the 
road  to  restoration ;  indeed,  I  feel  better,  and  have  no  fear 
but  in  due  season  I  shall  be  as  strong  as  aforetime.  It  is 
not  in  my  power  to  hasten  to  strength.  This  must  come  by 
degrees,  as  the  Lord  may  please  to  grant  it.  Pray  for  me 
that  the  time  may  be  not  too  long.  I  want  all  those 
who  take  an  interest  iu  Tabernacle  work  to  see  that  the 
funds  are  all  right  at  the  close  of  the  year.  My  absence  has 
tried  the  home  cause  very  much,  and  I  hope  that  every  one 
will  resolve  that  no  deficiency  shall  occur  in  anything,  for 
that  would  be  a  great  grief  to  me.  Be  thoughtfully  gener¬ 
ous  just  now,  and  it  will  be  most  seasonable.  We  must 
never  allow  home  funds  to  be  straitened  while  we  personally 
receive  so  freely  of  the  grace  of  God.  Mrs.  Spurgeon  and 
myself  are  happy  to  be  privileged  to  be  together  in  this 
sunny  land.  We  are  both  of  us  full  of  gratitude  that  we 
are  spared  to  each  other,  and  both  thankful  to  you  for  re¬ 
membering  us  in  your  prayers.  God  bless  you  each  one.” 

“  Mentone,  December  17. 

“  Though  I  cannot  be  present  to  wish  you  the  blessings 
of  the  season,  I  would  not  use  the  words  of  compliment,  but 
I  would  say  from  my  heart,  ‘  I  wish  you  a  most  happy 
Christmas.’  Upon  your  family  gatherings  may  the  best  of 
blessing  rest.  May  all  your  children  be  the  Lord’s  children, 
and  thus  may  your  union  in  the  bonds  of  the  flesh  be  made 
eternal  by  the  bonds  of  the  Spirit !  Joy  be  with  you  ;  yet 


LIFE  OF  SrUItGEOX. 


263. 


let  it  be  joy  in  the  Lord.  I  think  I  can  fairly  say  I  am 
better.  Whether  or  no  the  disease  is  disappearing,  I  cannot 
say,  though  I  fear  there  is  not  much  difference,  but  in  gen¬ 
eral  health  I  must  be  improved,  or  else  my  feelings  are  sheer 
delusion.  At  any  rate,  I  am  very  hopeful  and  praiseful,  and 
I  wish  I  could  stand  up  and  give  out  Psalm  103.” 

“  Mentone,  December  2J/.. 

“My  Dear  Friends:  For  the  last  time  in  the  year 
1891  I  write  you,  and  with  this  brief  note  I  send  hearty 
gratitude  for  your  loving  kindness  to  me  during  the  year 
which  is  ending,  and  fervent  wishes  for  a  special  blessing 
on  the  year  so  soon  to  begin.  I  have  nearly  finished  thirty- 
eight  years  of  my  ministry  among  you,  and  have  completed 
thirty-seven  volumes  of  published  sermons  preached  in 
your  midst.  Yet  we  are  not  wearied  of  each  other.  I  shall 
hail  the  day  when  I  may  again  speak  with  you.  Sur¬ 
rounded  by  ten  thousand  mercies,  my  time  of  weakness  is 
rendered  restful  and  happy ;  but  still  to  be  able  in  health 
and  vigor  to  pursue  the  blissful  path  of  useful  service  would 
be  my  heaven  below.  To  be  denied  activities  which  have 
become  part  of  my  nature  seems  so  strange  ;  but  as  I  cannot 
alter  it,  and  as  1  am  sure  that  infinite  wisdom  rules  it,  I 
bow  before  the  divine  will — my  Father’s  will. 

“  Again  the  doctor  reports  favorably — that  is  to  say,  yes¬ 
terday  he  said  that  there  was  decided  improvement  as  to  the 
disease  ;  nothing  great,  but  as  much  as  he  could  hope  for ; 
nothing  speedy  could  be  looked  for,  but  matters  were  going 
most  encouragingly.  I  was  to  be  very  careful  about  a  chill, 
etc.  This  is  an  old  and  dull  story  to  you.  Only  your 
prayerful  and  persevering  interest  in  me  could  make  me 

bold  enough  to  repeat  it.  Honestly,  I  do  not  think  you 

21 


264 


LIFE  OF  SPUR 0 EOF. 


are  losers  by  my  absence,  so  long  as  the  Lord  enables  our 
dear  friend,  Dr.  Pierson,  to  preach  as  he  does.  There  is  a 
cloud  of  blessing  resting  on  you  now.  Turn  the  cloud  into 
a  shower  by  the  heavenly  electricity  of  believing  prayer. 
May  the  Watch  Night  be  a  night  to  be  remembered,  and 
on  the  first  hour  of  the  year  may  the  Lord  say,  ‘  From  this 
day  will  I  bless  you.’  ” 

Mr.  Spurgeon,  writing  in  his  magazine  for  January,  after 
giving  the  doctor’s  verdict  that  there  is  a  decided  improve¬ 
ment,  says :  “  I  am  so  grateful  to  be  alive,  and  to  have  the 
assured  prospect  of  recovery,  that  I  know  not  how  to  ex¬ 
press  my  thankfulness  to  God  for  answering  the  prayers  of 
his  people ;  and  I  may  well  submit  to  his  sacred  will.  I 
cannot  boast  of  being  able  to  wait  patiently  ;  but  I  will  be 
quiet  as  long  as  must  be.  Hitherto,  a  very  little  extra 
thinking,  writing,  or  conversation,  has  shown  me  that  I  am 
a  poor  creature  at  my  best.  My  peace  of  mind  and  cheer¬ 
fulness  of  spirit  make  me  feel  as  good  as  well ;  but  as  to 
strength,  I  cannot  deceive  myself  with  the  notion  that  I 
can  render  any  public  service  ;  for  even  prayer  with  half  a 
dozen  overpowers  me.  Still,  my  own  voice  is  coming  back 
in  force,  and  the  far-away  tone  which  my  sickness  brought 
me  is  not  often  heard.  The  weather  here  is  so  specially 
superb,  week  after  week,  that  I  am  much  in  the  open  air, 
and  in  the  glorious  sun,  and  this  is  God’s  own  strengthen¬ 
ing  medicine  for  weakness  such  as  mine.  My  wife’s  pres¬ 
ence  is  also  a  main  ingredient  in  my  cup,  which  runs  over 
with  mercies.” 

Mentone,  December  31. 

“  I  believe  I  am  right  in  reporting  a  greater  change  in 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


265 


the  disease  than  could  be  spoken  of  before.  It  is  still  a 
great  drain  upon  me ;  but  as  it  has  improved  so  far,  I  be¬ 
lieve  it  will  make  more  rapid  diminution.  What  a  joy  it 
will  be  to  be  within  measurable  distance  of  the  time  to 
return  to  my  pulpit  and  you.  I  have  not  reached  that 
point  yet.  Now,  may  the  Lord  cause  the  cloud  of  blessing 
to  burst  upon  you  in  a  great  tropical  shower.  I  am  expect¬ 
ing  this.  Grateful  beyond  expression  for  all  that  the  Lord 
has  done  and  is  doing,  I  am  eager  for  more.  Indulgence 
in  covetousness  is  sinful,  but  not  when  we  ‘covet  earnestly 
the  best  gifts.’  All  that  I  can  do  is  to  pray  and  expect. 
The  Lord  himself  deal  out  to  each  one  of  his  children  a 
full  portion,  and  to  those  who  linger  at  the  gate  may  the 
Good  Spirit  give  his  gracious  drawings  that  they  may  cross 
the  sacred  threshold  this  day.  Peace  be  within  the  gates 
of  our  dear  sanctuary,  and  prosperity  within  the  doors. 
For  my  brethren  and  companions’  sake  will  I  now  say, 
‘  Peace  be  within  thee.’  ” 

January  15,  1891. 

“My  Dear  Friends:  There  is  nothing  for  me  to  say  in 
reporting  myself  to  headquarters  beyond  this — that  I  hope 
and  believe  that  the  steady  and  solid  progress  which  has 
begun  is  continued  and  will  continue.  If  a  doctor  were  to 
visit  me  now  for  the  first  time,  and  were  to  investigate  my 
disease,  he  would  pronounce  it  a  bad  case ;  but  those  who 
know  what  I  have  been,  and  how  much  worse  than  at 
present  everything  was,  must  wonder  at  me,  and  think  it  is 
a  remarkably  good  case.  God  be  thanked  for  all  that  he 
has  done  in  answer  to  his  people’s  prayers.  Never  let  us 
have  a  doubt  as  to  the  fidelity  and  ability  of  God,  of  the 
promises,  and  of  the  mercy-seat. 

“  On  looking  back  upon  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 


266 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Death  through  which  I  passed  so  short  a  time  ago,  I  feel 
my  mind  grasping  with  firmer  grip  than  ever  that  everlast¬ 
ing  gospel  which  for  so  many  years  I  have  preached  to  you. 
We  have  not  been  deceived.  Jesus  does  give  rest  to  those 
who  come  to  him ;  he  does  save  those  who  trust  him  ;  he 
does  photograph  his  image  on  those  who  learn  of  him.  I 
lmte  the  Christianized  infidelity  of  the  modern  school  more 
than  ever,  as  I  see  how  it  rends  away  from  sinful  man  his 
last  and  only  hope.  Cling  to  the  gospel  of  forgiveness 
through  the  substitutionary  sacrifice ;  and  spread  it  with  all 
your  might,  each  one  of  you,  for  it  is  the  only  cure  for 
bleeding  hearts. 

“  Peace  be  unto  you  as  a  whole,  and  peace  be  to  each 
one !  I  greet  with  whole-hearted  gratitude  my  brother,  Dr. 
Pierson,  and  with  unfeigned  love  each  deacon,  elder,  and 
member,  and  worker.  My  own  dear  brother  in  the  flesh  is 
also  ever  watching  over  the  concerns  of  our  great  work. 
May  the  Lord  himself  keep  watch  over  all.  To  Mr.  Stott 
I  wish  a  long  and  prosperous  ministry  where  the  Lord  shall 
direct  him.” 

“  Mentone,  January  Uf,  1892. 

“  My  Dear  Friends  :  I  have  not  seen  the  doctor  since 
writing  last  time,  and  I  have,  therefore,  little  to  say  about 
my  health  so  far  as  medical  testimony  goes.  We  have  had 
a  week  of  broken,  uncertain  weather — days  of  rain,  intervals 
of  wind  and  hours  of  cold.  This  has  kept  me  very  much 
within  doors,  for  I  dare  not  run  the  risk  of  a  chill ;  and 
therefore  I  fear  I  have  made  no  progress,  and  can  hardly 
hope  that  I  am  quite  so  well  as  to  my  internal  mischief. 
In  other  respects  I  feel  fairly  up  to  the  mark,  and  deeply 
grateful  to  be  free  from  pa”in,  and  free  from  fear  as  to  the 
ultimate  result.  I  earnestly  hope  that  your  weather  will 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


267 


improve.  When  it  is  bad  here,  what  must  it  be  with  you  ? 
The  snow  on  the  mountains  reminds  us  of  what  others  are 
enduring.  I  wish  I  could  be  in  such  health  as  to  be  always 
with  you,  but  as  this  cannot  be  I  am  most  thankful  for  the 
retreat  afforded  by  this  sheltered  spot ;  and  even  more  so 
for  the  rest  of  heart  which  comes  to  me  through  knowing 
that  you  are  all  spiritually  fed  under  the  ministry  of  Dr. 
Pierson.  May  his  health  be  maintained  and  that  of  his 
wife  during  your  trying  winter.  You  may  feel  sure  that  I 
am  doing  pretty  well,  or  the  doctor  would  be  looking  me 
up.  When  he  next  calls  I  will  have  a  bulletin  from  him  ; 
and  till  then  you  may  rest  in  peace  about  me.  May  the 
saturating  showers  of  blessings  for  which  I  am  looking 
soon  fall  in  tropical  abundance,  and  may  no  part  of  the 
field  be  left  dry.  If  there  are  any  very  sad,  down-cast,  and 
self-condemned  ones  among  you,  I  desire  my  special  love  to 
them.  The  Lord  himself  looks  from  heaven  to  spy  out  such 
special  characters.  See  Job  33  :  27,  28.  I  think  this  text 
is  a  message  for  somebody.  May  grace  abound  towards  you.” 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


LAST  MESSAGES  OF  LOYE — THE  END — EARTH  TO  EARTH. 

Air ITH  Iris  wonted  thoughtfulness,  Mr.  Spurgeon  seemed 
'  '  to  remember  every  one  of  those  over  whom  he  watched 
and  for  whose  welfare  he  labored  and  prayed  when  at  home. 
The  orphans  had  always  held  a  special  place  in  his  heart. 
In  former  days,  before  he  was  compelled  to  winter  at  Men¬ 
tone,  he  would  spend  much  of  Christmas  Day  at  the  Or¬ 
phanage  and  dine  there.  It  was  his  desire  that  his  young 
friends  there  might  enjoy  to  the  full  all  such  festal  occasions. 
On  December  21,  of  1891,  he  sent  a  letter  from  Mentone 
to  the  boys  and  girls  which  was  read  to  them  at  the  dinner 
table. 

“Mentone,  December  21,  1891. 

“  Dear  Boys  and  Girls  :  I  send  you  all  my  love,  as 
far  as  the  post  can  carry  love  at  twopence  half-penny  for 
half  an  ounce.  I  wish  you  a  real  glorious  Christmas :  I 
might  have  said,  ‘a jolly  Christmas,’ if  we  had  all  been 
boys,  but  as  some  of  us  are  girls  I  will  be  proper,  and  say, 
a  ‘  merry  Christmas.’  Enjoy  yourselves,  and  feel  grateful  to 
the  kind  friends  who  send  money  to  keep  the  Stockwell 
Orphanage  supplied.  Bless  their  loving  hearts  ;  they  never 
let  you  want  for  anything.  May  they  have  pleasure  in  see¬ 
ing  you  all  grow  up  to  be  all  good  men  and  women.  Feel 
very  grateful  also  to  the  trustees.  These  gentlemen  are 
always  at  work  arranging  for  your  good.  Give  them  three 
times  three.  Then  there  are  Mr.  Charlesworth,  Mr.  Ladds, 
268 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  269 

and  all  the  masters  and  the  matrons.  Each  one  deserves 
your  love  and  gratitude  and  obedience.  They  try  to  do  you 
good  ;  try  to  cheer  them  all  you  can.  I  should  like  you  to 
have  a  line  day,  such  a  day  as  we  have  here  ;  but  if  not,  you 
will  be  warm  and  bright  indoors.  Three  cheers  for  those 
who  give  us  the  good  things  for  this  festival.  I  want  you 
for  a  moment  in  the  day  to  be  all  still,  and  spend  the  time 
in  thanking  our  Heavenly  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  for 
the  great  goodness  shown  to  you  and  to  me,  and  then  pray 
for  me  that  I  may  get  quite  well.  Mrs  Spurgeon  and  I 
both  send  our  love  to  all  the  Stockwell  family.” 

The  boys  and  girls  also  were  mindful  of  their  absent 
friend  and  his  wife.  They  sent  a  bright  letter,  signed  by 
the  first  girl  and  boy  for  the  year,  wishing  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spurgeon  a  Merry  Christmas  and  a  Happy  New  Year. 

“  We  did  not  write  to  you  when  you  were  so  ill,  but  we 
prayed  for  you  every  day.  We  have  been  made  so  happy 
ever  since  we  knew  you  were  getting  better.  We  hardly 
knew  what  to  send  you,  but  we  have  now  agreed  to  send 
you  an  English  flower  to  wear  on  Christmas  Day.  You  have 
more  lovely  flowers  in  France,  but  we  hope  you  will  like 
these  as  well,  as  they  come  from  your  loving  boys  and  girls  [ 
in  the  Orphahage.  We  thank  dear  Mrs.  Spurgeon  for  her 
love  to  us ;  and  we  are  so  glad  that  God  has  made  her  well 
enough  to  be  with  you  at  Mentone.  Everybody  is  kind  to 
us  ;  and  you  are  our  dearest  earthly  friend. 

“  Signed  for  all  the  boys  and  girls, 

“  Kate  Bishop, 

“Earnest  James  Barson.” 


270 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


He  sent  also  a  most  affectionate  Christmas  letter,  asking 
that  a  blessing  might  rest  upon  all  the  family  gatherings  in 
the  church. 

“  The  Sword  and  Trowel  ”  for  February  contained  two 
brief  addresses  by  Mr.  Spurgeon,  made  at  Mentone  ;  one  on 
the  last  evening  of  1891,  the  other  on  the  first  morning  of 
1892.  That  he  was  able  to  break  the  long  silence  was  a  fact 
most  encouraging  to  his  loving  friends.  This  hope  was 
sustained  through  the  early  part  of  January.  January  9, 
he  completed  the  revision  of  the  report  of  Sermon  No.  2241, 
on  Psalm  145  :  7.  “Never  did  he  revise  a  sermon  with 
greater  ease  or  more  delight,”  reports  his  secretary,  Mr. 
Harrald,  It  was  the  last  sermon  which  he  revised. 

We  insert  here  the  last  photograph  that  was  taken  of 
Mr.  Spurgeon.  He  was  in  his  carriage  January  8,  when, 
without  his  knowledge,  the  photograph  was  taken  and  sub¬ 
sequently  enlarged. 

January  12,  he  took  a  drive.  On  the  following  day,  he 
wrote  a  note  for  “  The  Sword  and  Trowel  ”  on  “  The  Bible 
and  Modern  Criticism.”  January  17,  he  expounded  to  a  few 
friends,  Psalm  103 ;  and  then  offered  the  closing  prayer. 
January  20,  he  went  out  to  drive.  On  his  return,  his  hand 
was  so  painful  from  gout  that  he  went  to  bed  early, 
never  to  rise  again.  On  the  day  following,  the  gout  affected 
his  head.  Tuesday,  January  26,  was  the  day  appointed  for 
bringing  to  the  Tabernacle  thank-offerings  for  the  pastor’s 
partial  recovery.  He  dictated  to  Mr.  Harrald  a  telegram : 
“Self  and  wife — one'hundred  pounds,  hearty  thank-offering 
toward  Tabernacle  general  expenses.  Love  to  all  friends,” 
and  then  he  fell  into  unconsciousness,  which  continued  dur¬ 
ing  most  of  the  remaining  time.  He  had  said  to  Mr.  Har¬ 
rald,  “  My  work  is  done.”  And  so  it  proved.  On  Sunday, 


Latest  Picture  of  Mr.  Spurgeon. 


Page  270. 


Students  Carrying  Casket.  Page  273. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


273 


January  31,  an  hour  before  midnight,  his  wife,  his  brother, 
his  son,  and  two  other  loving  friends  were  beside  him,  and 
he  was  not,  for  God  took  him. 

As  soon  as  the  event  was  known,  the  wires  were  choked 
with  messages  of  sympathy  from  all  over  the  world,  includ¬ 
ing  a  telegram  from  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales.  The 
news  reached  Loudon  on  Monday  morning,  February  1. 
That  day  had  been  appointed,  at  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  own  sug¬ 
gestion,  as  a  day  of  special  prayer  for  the  abatement  of  the 
influenza.  Meetings  were  held  in  the  morning,  afternoon, 
and  evening,  and  during  each  succeeding  day  of  the  week. 

On  Lord’s  Lay,  February  7,  a  great  crowd,  dressed  in 
deep  mourning,  tilled  the  house.  In  the  evening,  the  Lord’s 
Supper  followed, .the  pastor’s  chair  being  left  empty. 

On  Thursday,  February  4,  funeral  services  were  held  at 
Mentone,  in  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church  ;  and  then  the 
body  was  taken  to  London  by  way  of  Dicj^pe  and  New 
Haven.  The  train  reached  Victoria  Station,  London,  on 
Monday,  February  8,  at  eleven  o’clock.  The  olive  wood 
coffin,  covered  with  the  palm  branches  sent  from  Mentone 
by  Mrs.  Spurgeon,  was  placed  in  the  hearse,  the  great  crowd 
standing  with  bared  heads  and  often  with  streaming  eyes. 
That  night  the  sacred  burden  was  placed  in  the  great  hall 
of  the  Tabernacle  with  a  marble  bust  of  Mr.  Spurgeon 
above  it  on  the  lower  platform. 

On  Thursday,  from  seven  in  the  morning  until  seven  in 
the  evening,  a  great  multitude,  estimated  at  sixty  thousand, 
passed  through  the  hall  and  looked  at  the  coffin,  which  was 
covered  with  flowers  and  wreaths.  But  it  was  especially 
desired  by  the  church  and  by  the  family  that  his  memory 
should  be  honored  not  so  much  by  perishable  flowers  as  by 
gifts  to  the  work  he  had  loved  so  much,  to  the  College  and 


274 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


to  the  Orphanage.  At  the  sides  of  the  coffin  were  cards,  on 
which  were  inscribed  messages  of  love  from  his  nearest 
kindred. 

Wednesday  was  the  great  memorial  day.  In  the  morn¬ 
ing  the  members  of  the  Tabernacle  Church  assembled, 
Pastor  James  A.  Spurgeon,  with  whom  all  heai’ts  were  in 
sympathy,  conducting  the  services.  President  Angus,  of 
Regent’s  Park  College,  a  former  pastor  of  the  church,  gave 
some  reminiscences  of  former  days  and  pointed  out  the 
present  duty.  Dr.  Pierson  read  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Spurgeon, 
a  portion  of  which  we  have  already  quoted  :  “  To-day  he 

has  been  a  week  in  heaven.  Oh,  the  bliss,  the  rapture  of 
seeing  his  Saviour’s  face !  Oh,  the  welcome  home  which 
awaited  him  as  he  left  this  sad  earth  !  Not  for  a  moment 
do  I  wish  him  back,  though  he  was  dearer  to  me  than 
tongue  can  tell.” 

Dr.  Pierson  spoke  of  Mr.  Spurgeon  as  an  evangelist,  as  a 
pastor,  and  as  a  Christian  believer. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Harrald,  the  secretary,  spoke  of  the  precious 
three  months  at  Mentone. 

In  the  noon  interval  a  meeting  of  the  Pastors’  College 
Evangelical  Association  was  held. 

In  the  afternoon,  ministers  and  students,  representing  all 
sections  of  the  church,  assembled  in  the  Tabernacle.  Dr. 
Maclaren,  of  Manchester,  spoke  of  the  spirit,  the  staple, 
and  the  spring  of  a  successful  ministry.  In  allusion  to  the 
simplicity  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  preaching,  he  said  :  “  I  do 

not  believe  that  any  truth  is  so  deep  that  it  is  not  capable 
of  expression  in  the  English  tongue  which  Bunyan  and 
Spurgeon  wielded.”  Canon  Fleming  spoke  of  his  friend¬ 
ship  of  twenty-five  years  with  Mr.  Spurgeon.  Dr.  Monroe 
Gibson  represented  the  English  Presbyterian  Synod,  of 


Casket  in  the  Church.  Page  274 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


277 


which  he  is  Moderator ;  Dr.  Herber  Evans  the  Congre¬ 
gational  Union,  and  Dr.  Stephenson  the  Wesleyan  Confer¬ 
ence.  Dr.  Pierson  represented  America. 

In  the  evening  the  building  was  densely  crowded  with 
Christian  workers  of  all  denominations.  George  Williams, 
President  of  the  London  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association ; 
Sir  Arthur  Blackwood,  Canon  Palmer,  Colonel  Griffin  (repre¬ 
senting  the  Baptist  Union)  each  made  an  impressive  address. 

The  last  meeting  opened  at  10.15  r.  M.  The  house  was 
filled  with  those  whose  labors  made  it  impossible  for  them 
to  be  present  during  the  day.  Mr.  Sankey,  Mr.  Fullerton, 
Mr.  J.  Manton  Smith  were  the  speakers. 

Thursday,  February  11,  was  the  day  of  the  funeral. 
The  last  hymn  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  had  ever  given  out, 
“  The  sands  of  time  are  sinking,”  was  sung.  An  address 
was  made  by  Dr.  Pierson,  and  prayer  offered  by  Rev.  New¬ 
man  Hall.  The  coffin  was  then  borne  out.  The  roads 
through  which  the  procession  passed  were  crowded  on  either 
side.  The  bells  of  the  parish  churches  tolled,  the  shops  and 
even  the  public  houses  were  closed. 

At  the  Stockwell  Orphanage,  the  children,  seated  on  a 
covered  platform,  watched  the  last  honors  to  their  benefactor. 
At  the  Norwood  Cemetery  Rev.  Archibald  G.  Brown,  his 
pupil  and  life-long  friend,  made  an  address  of  touching  elo¬ 
quence,  bidding  him  farewell.  Prayer  was  offered  by  Dr. 
Pierson.  The  benediction  was  pronounced  by  Rt.  Rev. 
Randall  T.  Davidson,  Lord  Bishop  of  Rochester,  who  had 
expressed  to  Rev.  James  A.  Spurgeon  a  desire  to  take  part 
in  the  services  at  the  grave. 

And  then  they  sadly  left  him  in  his  grave  near  the  resting 
place  of  the  missionary  Moffatt,  to  await  the  morning  when 
those  who  sleep  with  Jesus  God  shall  bring  with  him. 


278 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


Meanwhile,  memorial  services  were  held  wherever  the 
English  language  is  spoken.  Nor  was  the  interest  confined 
to  any  one  denomination.  Nowhere  were  these  expressions 
of  feeling  more  heartfelt  and  general  than  in  America.  In 
Philadelphia  a  service  was  held  by  the  Baptist  Ministers’ 
Conference,  on  Monday  morning,  February  8,  in  the  Tab¬ 
ernacle  Church,  the  Presbyterian  Ministers’  Meeting  ad¬ 
journing  that  the  members  might  be  present.  Addresses 
were  made  by  President  H.  G.  Weston,  Dr.  Frederic  Evans 
and  others,  and  an  elaborate  tribute,  drawn  up  by  Dr.  G.  D. 
Boardman,  was  cabled  to  the  Tabernacle.  Another  meeting 
was  held  in  the  Memorial  Church  on  the  evening  of  Thurs¬ 
day,  the  day  of  the  funeral,  in  which  ministers  of  the  Pres¬ 
byterian  and  Methodist  churches  took  part.  In  New  York, 
Boston,  Chicago,  and  in  nearly  every  city  similar  tributes 
were  paid. 

Never,  within  the  memory  of  men  now  living,  has  there 
been  so  widespread  and  deep  emotion.  When  Lincoln  died 
there  was  no  cable  and  the  news  was  ten  days  old  here 
when  it  reached  Europe,  and  twice  that  time  elapsed  before 
the  echo  from  the  Eastern  Continent  returned  to  us.  Now 
the  cable  gave  to  all  hearts  one  thought,  and  the  Christian 
world  stood  uncovered  at  his  grave. 

We  have  endeavored  to  give  a  truthful  and,  so  far  as 
space  and  time  were  allowed  us,  an  adequate  portrayal  of  a 
noble  and  lovable  man,  an  exalted  character,  a  beneficent 
and  divine  life.  We  do  not  make  any  claim  to  have  been 
unbiassed,  if  in  that  term  is  implied  aught  of  indifference. 
The  reader  may  make  any  allowance  that  he  thinks  de¬ 
manded  for  the  fact  that  we  have  written  under  the  spell  of 
admiration  and  affection.  And  we  freely  confess  that  the 


Stockwell  Orphans  Singing  as  Procession  Passes.  Page  277. 


Entering  the  Cemetery.  Page  277. 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  283 

more  we  have  studied  him  during  these  past  weeks  the  more 
have  these  sentiments  been  deepened. 

It  is  with  regret  that  we  close  a  labor  which  was  of  the 
heart.  We  seem  to  be  leaving  his  presence.  We  sympa¬ 
thize  with  the  feelings  which  he  experienced  as  he  finished 
the  last  page  of  “  The  Treasury  of  David.” 

Loving  brother,  brave  soldier  of  Christ,  loyal  servant  of 
God,  champion  of  the  Truth,  father  of  the  fatherless,  great- 
souled  hero,  hail  and  farewell  till  the  day  break  and  the 
shadows  flee  away. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


CONTEMPORARY  JUDGMENTS. 

rPHE  reader  may  desire  to  know  how  Mr.  Spurgeon  was 
-L  estimated  by  the  leading  public  opinion  of  his  day. 
We  append  articles  from  London  weekly  papers,  represent¬ 
ing  different  phases  of  thought.  The  following  is  from 
“  The  Spectator  ”  (Conservative-Unionist)  : 

“  The  Nonconformist  Churches,  and  indeed  all  churches, 
have  lost  in  Mr.  Spurgeon  a  man  of  considerable  powers 
and  of  immense  influence,  which  was  persistently  and 
strenuously  exerted  to  do  good.  He  was  probably  the 
most  successful  preacher  to  an  audience  of  bourgeois  who 
ever  lived,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  why.  There 
is  an  idea  afloat  that  Englishmen  are  growing  sceptical, 
and  as  regards  one  section  of  the  cultivated,  and  the  semi- 
Socialist  division  of  the  workmen,  it  is  partly  true ;  but 
the  lower  division  of  the  middle  class,  a  thick  stratum  in 
English  society,  for  the  most  part  retains,  though  it  does 
not  always  follow,  its  old  faith.  Its  members  believe  in 
Evangelicalism,  qualified  by  shrewd  sense,  and  find  in  that 
gospel  a  sufficient  rule  of  conduct  in  most  emergencies  of 
life.  They  do  not,  therefore,  wish  their  faith  to  be  dis¬ 
turbed,  or  even  much  expounded  in  the  Scotch  way,  but  to 
be  assumed  or  expressed  clearly,  and  applied  to  all  the  con¬ 
tingencies  of  life  by  a  preacher  with  gifts,  the  greater  the 
gifts  the  better,  but  without  originality  of  religious  thought. 
They  also  desire,  and  this  most  heartily,  that  their  teacher 
‘284 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


285 


should  ba  a  man  who  believes  his  message  more  earnestly 
than  his  audience  do,  who  is  visibly  and  unmistakably 
earnest  in  enthusiasm,  who  lives  straight  up  to  his  own 
principles  and  their  ideal,  and  who  is  independent  enough 
to  rebuke  all  backsliding  with  a  certain  energy.  They 
found  all  these  requirements  satisfied  to  the  full  in  Mr. 
Spurgeon.  Gifted  with  a  superb  voice,  and  possessed  by  a 
theology  which  was  exactly  that  of  his  congregation,  the 
preacher  poured  out  before  them  arguments  which,  nine 
times  out  of  ten,  contained  nothing  but  common-sense 
applied  to  religion  or  the  conduct  of  life,  but  which  were 
so  aptly  and  intelligibly  expressed,  so  warmed  by  convic¬ 
tion,  so  familiar  and  yet  so  new,  that  they  made  on  those 
who  heard  them  all  the  impression  of  the  loftiest  eloquence. 
They  convinced,  if  they  did  not  exactly  waken,  and  made 
thousands  of  ordinary  men,  exposed,  sometimes  in  an 
unusual  degree,  to  ordinary  temptations  distinctly  stronger 
to  resist  them. 

“  His  English  was  always  admirable,  though  it  was  some¬ 
times  not  refined  ;  he  was  a  master  of  felicitous  illustration, 
drawn  often  from  the  homeliest  things ;  and  he  knew  how 
to  become  impressive,  and  occasionally  drive  a  truth  home 
with  the  startling  force  which  comes  from  the  unexpected. 
He  was  not  a  great  orator,  but  he  was  for  his  audience  a 
most  rousing  and  convincing  preacher.  The  influence  of 
his  words  was,  of  course,  materially  aided  both  by  his 
character  and  the  independence  of  his  position.  He  was 
the  manliest  of  men,  never  posed,  never  disguised  anything, 
would  say  his  own  thought,  however  unpopular  it  might  be, 
and  detested  the  fads  which  it  has  been  a  fashion  of  this 
half  of  the  century  to  add  to  the  Christian  law.  Believing 
in  charity,  he  practiced  it,  and  gave  with  both  hands;  but 


286 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


he  held  that  men  should  work  for  their  living,  and  not 
sponge  on  the  community,  and  hated  the  modern  feeling  of 
‘  pity  ’  for  the  thriftless  and  the  idle.  His  opinion  about 
all  sorts  of  beggars,  was  summed  up  in  his  apophthegm, 

‘  There  should  be  patience  and  pity  for  poverty ;  but  for 
laziness,  give  me  a  long  whip.’ 

“  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  helped  to  independence,  too,  by  his 
practical  ability.  He  cared  personally  nothing  about 
money ;  he  could  give  away  “  like  a  prince ;  ”  but  he  had 
the  faculty,  often  so  painfully  absent  from  the  clergy, 
whether  Established  or  Nonconformist,  of  managing  large 
pecuniary  affairs.  Thousands  might  be  given  him,  and  it 
was  certain  not  only  that  he  would  steal  none — a  trait  now 
practically  universal  in  English  teachers  of  religion,  who 
are  trusted  on  that  point  as  no  priesthood  ever  has  been  in 
the  world — but  that  he  would  spend  the  money  wisely, 
would  waste  none  on  fads,  and  would  have  as  clear  a  result 
for  his  cash  as  if  he  had  been  a  shopkeeper  buying  stock. 
His  orphanages  are  models  of  good  management.  His  in¬ 
dependence  reacted  on  his  spiritual  influence,  every  listener 
feeling  that  what  he  said,  he  said  because  he  thought  it,  and 
for  no  other  earthly  reason,  and,  combined  with  his  habit¬ 
ual  abstinence  from  cant — by  which,  in  this  place,  we  mean 
the  utterance  of  words  only  because  they  have  a  pious  effect 
— it  gave  weight  to  his  eloquence  and  edge  to  his  powers  of 
persuasion.  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  a  great  preacher,  first  of 
all  because  he  believed,  and  had  the  necessary  gifts  to  be 
one ;  but  his  powers  were  visibly  enlarged  by  his  character, 
with  its  energy,  its  ability,  as  well  as  its  determined 
independence.” 

The  following  is  from  the  “  Speaker”  (Gladstone- 
Liberal)  : 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEOX. 


287 


“  The  tributes  which  have  been  paid  to  Mr.  Spurgeon  by 
the  press  of  all  sections  of  opinion  have  been  so  generous 
as  well  as  just  that  they  leave  little  to  be  said  by  those  who 
held  him  in  special  regard.  His  was  a  great  and  striking 
individuality,  and  he  had  impressed  it  upon  the  imagina¬ 
tions  of  his  fellow-countrymen  as  no  other  ecclesiastic  of 
his  time  succeeded  in  doing.  And  this  he  secured  solely  in 
virtue  of  his  merits  and  qualities  as  a  minister  of  the 
church  to  which  he  belonged.  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  ‘  the  pas¬ 
tor  of  the  Tabernacle  ’  and  the  chief  of  the  organization 
which  he  had  gradually  built  up  around  that  place  of  wor¬ 
ship.  That  was  all.  Yet  his  death  is  universally  regarded 
as  a  loss  to  the  nation  at  large,  and  the  newspapers  of  every 
party  and  sect  vie  with  each  other  in  paying  honor  to  his 
memory. 

“  What  was  the  secret  of  this  great  man’s  success  in  life? 
Unquestionably  the  foundation  of  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  success 
was  his  wonderful  gift  as  a  preacher.  We  said  some  months 
ago,  when  he  was  lying  very  ill,  that  among  the  natural 
orators  of  this  generation  he  stood  next  to  Mr.  Bright.  We 
see  now  that  some  are  inclined  to  belittle  his  oratorical 
powers.  It  can  only  be  because  they  have  not  themselves 
been  ‘  under  the  wand  of  the  magician.’  No  one  who  has 
will  question  the  fact  that  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  endowed  with 
gifts  as  an  orator  such  as  hardly  any  other  man  of  his  time 
possessed.  Of  course,  his  eloquence  was  not  like  that  of  Mr. 
Gladstone  or  Canon  Liddon,  for  example.  It  even  differed 
in  certain  essentials  from  that  of  Air.  Bright,  which,  on  the 
whole,  it  most  nearly  resembled.  But  of  its  own  kind  there 
was  nothing  to  equal  it  in  the  pulpit  of  any  church  in  the 
land.  If  the  preacher  at  the  Tabernacle  never  assayed  “  the 
poet’s  star-crowned  harp  to  sweep if  he  scrupulously 


238 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


avoided  t’ae  ornate  flights  of  eloquence  which  are  so  dear 
to  most  orators, — he  never  failed  to  make  his  admirable  prose 
sink  even  into  the  most  unwilling  ears.  Many  men  went  to 
the  Tabernacle,  especially  in  its  early  days,  prepared  to 
scoff.  Few  came  away  without  owning  that  they  had 
listened  to  a  man  who  had  literally  compelled  them  to 
attend  to  all  he  said,  and  whose  bright,  simple,  picturesque, 
and  always  forcible  utterances  were  pitched  in  a  key  which 
attuned  itself  to  every  ear,  and  found  entrance  to  every 
heart. 

“  But  other  churches  have  had  preachers  of  an  eloquence 
hardly  inferior  to  that  of  Mr.  Spurgeon.  How  comes  it 
that  they  never  won  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Great 
Britain  as  he  did?  Canon  Liddon,  whose  name  occurs  so 
naturally  when  we  speak  of  pulpit  eloquence  ;  Bishop  Alex¬ 
ander,  Archbishop  Magee,  and  many  others,  might  fairly 
have  competed,  so  far  as  mere  gifts  of  speech  were  concerned, 
with  the  pastor  of  the  Tabernacle.  Yet  not  one  of  them  held 
his  place  in  English  life,  or  anything  approaching  to  it. 
We  mean  no  disrespect  to  these  eminent  men  when  we  say 
that  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  triumph,  his  unrivalled  success  in  hold¬ 
ing  the  hearts  of  so  large  a  body  of  his  fellow-countrymen, 
was  distinctly  a  triumph  of  character.  It  was  not  merely 
because  of  his  pulpit  eloquence,  it  was  certainly  not  because 
of  any  intellectual  superiority  to  his  fellow-teachers  and 
preachers,  that  he  was  trusted  and  esteemed  so  much  above 
them  all.  It  was  because  the  great  British  public  had  ar¬ 
rived  at  the  conviction  that  he  was  absolutely  sincere,  sim¬ 
ple,  unpretending,  and  straightforward.  There  have  been 
preachers  of  rare  gifts  in  the  Free  Churches  of  England 
and  Scotland  who  would  command  crowded  congregations 
whenever  they  appeared,  who  had  a  large  and  devoted  fol- 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


289 


lowing  of  admirers,  but  who  could  never  touch  or  reach  the 
larger  public  because  of  a  certain  suspicion  of  charlatanry 
or  self-seeking  attaching  to  them.  For  thirty  years  past 
Mr.  Spurgeon  has  been  as  free  from  the  faintest  suggestion 
of  such  a  suspicion  as  it  was  possible  for  any  human  being 
to  be ;  and  men  everywhere  have  known  that  it  was  his 
Master,  not  himself,  on  whose  service  he  was  bent. 

“  In  this  triumph  of  personal  character,  and  in  one  other 
feature  of  his  life’s-work,  we  may  read  the  secret  of  his  as¬ 
tonishing  success.  That  other  feature  was  the  stern  fidelity 
he  showed  from  first  to  last  to  the  Puritan  creed  of  his  fore¬ 
fathers.  In  this,  as  in  everything  else,  his  motto  was 
‘Thorough!’  With  him,  at  least,  there  was  no  tampering 
with  modern  doubts,  modern  speculations,  new  discoveries 
in  science,  the  higher-  criticism.  Never  for  a  moment  did 
he  waver  in  his  conviction  that  the  truth  he  had  learned  as 
a  boy  was  everything.  The  world,  sweeping  onwards,  finds 
the  stars  which  shone  of  old  with  so  clear  and  steady  a 
lustre  changing  their  place  in  the  firmament  and  growing 
dim  with  the  growing  years,  whilst  new  stars  spring  into 
view  and  draw  to  themselves  the  wondering  gaze  of  the 
multitude.  For  Mr.  Spurgeon,  as  for  all  of  us,  new  stars 
might  spring  into  being;  but  to  his  mind  they  could  have 
only  one  purpose,  one  mission — the  renewing  and  extending 
of  the  glory  of  the  Sun  of  his  worship.  It  is  something  in 
a  faithless  age,  or,  in  what  is  still  worse,  an  indifferent  and 
invertebrate  age,  to  meet  with  one  whose  faith  can  withstand 
every  assault,  whose  trust  would  remain  unshaken  if  all  the 
world  were  to  turn  against  him.  And  the  creed  to  which 
Mr.  Spurgeon  clung  with  this  ardent  love  and  confidence 
was  the  creed  which  the  great  mass  of  English  people  had 
been  taught  from  their  cradles  upwards.  Is  it  wonderful 


290 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


that  when  the  old  Puritanism  was  preached,  not  merely 
with  such  eloquence,  but  with  such  genuine  fervour  of  con¬ 
viction,  the  preacher  should  have  rallied  round  himself 
thousands  and  scores  of  thousands  who  found  in  him  the 
very  champion  and  leader  for  whom  they  had  long  been 
hoping  and  praying?  Narrow-minded,  bigoted,  crude, 
ignorant — all  these  terms  of  reproach  were  flung  in  turn  at 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  and  they  hurt  him  no  more  than  did  the 
passing  breeze.  Nor  can  those  who  knew  him  and  who 
knew  his  preaching  forget  that,  despite  the  stern  fidelity 
which  he  showed  to  a  creed  that  is  no  longer  that  of  the 
world,  he  had  a  heart  filled  with  love  for  his  fellow-creatures, 
with  compassion  for  the  sinner,  with  the  burning  desire  that 
when  the  end  of  all  things  had  come,  and  the  Great  Account 
was  closed,  no  human  soul  which  had- found  itself  moved  by 
the  Divine  Spirit  might  fail  of  salvation.  And  with  it  all 
he  was  no  priest.  Never  once  were  the  sympathies  of  a 
priest-hating  people  ruffled  by  the  slightest  assumption  of 
spiritual  authority  on  the  part  of  their  teacher.  He  was  a 
plain  man  like  themselves,  with  no  pretention  to  ecclesiasti¬ 
cal  or  priestly  powers,  satisfied  to  be  the  minister  and  ser¬ 
vant  of  the  Lord  he  loved. 

“  It  was  thus  that  the  good  man  we  mourn  to-day  drew  to 
himself,  not  merely  the  admiration,  but  the  confidence  and 
affection  of  a  body  of  men  and  women  whose  numbers  can¬ 
not  be  counted,  but  who  are  to  be  found  in  every  corner  of 
the  world  in  which  the  English  tongue  is  spoken.  And 
whilst  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  his  fellow-creatures  he 
ministered  in  his  own  way,  week  by  week,  in  all  spiritual 
truths,  he  exercised  an  influence  over  those  who  had  little 
sympathy  with  his  creed  which  can  hardly  be  calculated 
and  which  was  wholly  for  good.  For  the  moment  his  loss 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON.  291 

seems  well-nigh  irreparable,  not  to  his  congregation  only, 
but  to  London  and  his  country.” 

The  following  is  from  the  “British  Weekly”  (Evange¬ 
lical-Undenominational-Liberation)  : 

“  He  has  fallen  like  a  tower,  and  his  removal  means 
for  many  a  change  in  the  whole  landscape  of  life.  A 
London  Tory  newspaper  spoke  of  his  death  as  attracting 
much  less  attention  than  that  of  Cardinal  Manning.  What 
did  the  children  at  the  schools,  the  servants  in  the  kitchen, 
the  cottars  in  the  Highlands,  the  old  women  in  wretched  gar¬ 
rets,  know  of  Manning  ?  But  all  these — all  the  nation,  for 
the  nation  is  Christian  still — knew  Spurgeon.  In  Scotland 
he  was  even  more  regarded  than  in  England,  and  in  Amer¬ 
ica  perhaps  his  fame  stood  higher  than  anywhere  else.  His 
years  were  not  many  when  he  died,  but  he  had  lived  long, 
and  had  maintained  to  the  very  last  the  splendor  of  his 
fame.  Had  Mr.  Gladstone  died  at  Mr.  Spurgeon’s  age,  he 
would  by  this  time  have  been  completely  forgotten.  Even 
as  it  was,  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  to  the  majority  of  his  country¬ 
men  a  still  more  conspicuous  figure  than  Mr.  Gladstone  ; 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  he  was  venerated  beyond  all  other 
men. 

“The  popular  judgment  is  often  mistaken  ;  but  it  may  be 
trusted  to  detect  a  charlatan  in  time.  For  the  public  ear, 
though  easy  to  gain,  is  exceedingly  hard  to  keep.  It  says 
much  both  for  the  power  and  the  essential  integrity  of  Mr. 
Spurgeon  that  he  caught  it  when  a  mere  boy,  and  never  lost 
it  for  a  moment.  This  was  due  first  of  all  to  his  oratorical 
power.  Two  orators  of  the  first  rank  have  appeared  in  our 
time:  Mr.  Bright  and  Mr.  Spurgeon.  His  marvelous 
voice,  clear  as  a  silver  bell’s  and  winning  as  a  woman’s, 
rose  up  against  the  surging  multitude,  and  without  effort 


292 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON: 


entered  every  ear.  The  homely,  sturdy  Englishman,  with 
his  air  of  composed  mastery,  his  unfailing  command  of 
lucid  Saxon,  his  power  to  rise  on  occasion  to  the  heights  of 
eloquence,  his  compassionate  understanding  of  the  life  of 
his  people,  and  above  all  his  yearning  for  their  salvation, 
will  not  easily  pass  from  the  nation’s  memory  and  heart. 
Mr.  Spurgeon’s  almost  supernatural  keenness  of  observa¬ 
tion  was  a  great  element  of  his  influence.  A  well-known 
neighbor  of  his  has  never  been  able  to  recognize  his  mem¬ 
bers,  because  he  cannot  recall  faces.  It  is  not  a  fault ;  but 
it  is  a  misfortune.  Mr.  Spurgeon  at  one  time,  as  he  sat  on 
his  platform,  could  name  every  one  of  his  five  thousand 
members.  He  also  remembered  even  visitors  with  whom 
he  had  a  very  slight  acquaintance ;  and  when  they  came 
to  the  Tabernacle,  instantly  detected  them.  He  was  pretty 
sure  to  contrive  some  way  of  making  signs  to  them  before 
the  service  ended — in  manners  sometimes  quaint  enough. 

“  He  was,  however,  much  more  than  a  great  orator.  The 
present  writer,  thrown  on  one  occasion  for  six  months 
where  books  were  scarce,  commenced  to  read  a  complete 
set  of  the  “  Metropolitan  Tabernacle  Pulpit,”  and  went 
through  all  the  volumes.  We  can  hardly  imagine  anyone 
doing  this  without  receiving  a  profound  and  permanent 
impression.  More,  the  astonishing  ability  of  the  preacher 
is  as  marked  as  his  eloquence  and  his  sincerity.  In  this  re¬ 
spect  he  has  hardly  received  justice.  Many  talk  still  of 
his  “crab-apple  fertility,”  and  compare  him  compassion¬ 
ately  with  such  men  as  Liddon.  In  truth,  there  was  no  com¬ 
parison  ;  in  point  of  sheer  ability,  Spurgeon  was  as  far 
above  Liddon  as  Liddon  was  above  Farrar.  As  an  un¬ 
prejudiced  and  competent  critic,  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Haweis 
said,  many  years  ago  :  “  It  is  perfectly  extraordinary  how 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


293 


able  and  powerful  the  great  Baptist  can  be  within  his  very 
narrow  doctrinal  limits.”  We  do  not  think  that  he  suc¬ 
ceeded  to  any  great  extent  outside  of  the  sermons,  although 
his  “John  Ploughman ”  publications  contain  much  racy 
matter.  In  the  sermons  there  are  many  passages  which  a 
really  catholic  anthology  of  English  prose  would  not  omit, 
and  an  informing  spirit  which  hardly  breathes  among  us 
now. 

“  It  may  seem  a  hard  saying,  but  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  his  theology  was  a  main  element  in  his  lasting  attrac¬ 
tion.  Why  has  Calvinism  flourished  so  exceedingly  in  the 
damp,  low-lying,  thickly-peopled,  struggling  regions  of 
South  London — where  James  Wells,  an  utterly  uneducated 
man,  and  a  Calvinist  so  high  that  he  thought  Mr.  Spurgeon 
a  dangerous  heretic,  divided  the  honors  with  his  young 
neighbor,  and  had  such  a  funeral  as  South  London  had 
never  seen  before  ?  To  begin  with,  all  religions  for  the 
masses  are  essentially  the  same.  A  Roman  Catholic  theo¬ 
logian,  Father  Dalgairns,  says :  “  Go  and  preach  your 

uncertain  hell  and  your  obscure  atonement  in  the  streets  of 
our  large  towns,  how  many  proselytes  will  you  gain  among 
the  masses,  the  stench  of  whose  corruptions  goes  up  to 
heaven  more  foully  every  day?  You  tempt  them  by  the 
dubious  boon  of  a  universal  salvation,  but  in  so  doing  you 
deprive  them  of  the  consolation  of  a  Saviour.”  Mr. 
Spurgeon  always  made  salvation  a  wonderful,  a  super¬ 
natural  thing — won  through  battle  and  agony  and  gar¬ 
ments  rolled  in  blood. 

“  This  great  and  hard-won  salvation  was  sure  ;  that  is,  ‘  it 
did  not  stand  in  the  creature  ’ ;  it  rested  absolutely  with 
God.  It  was  not  of  man,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh.  Mr. 
Spurgeon’s  hearers  had  many  of  them  missed  all  the  prizes 


204 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


of  life  ;  but  God  did  not  choose  them  for  the  reasons  that 
move  man’s  preference,  else  their  case  were  hopeless. 
Their  election  was  of  grace.  And  as  he  chose  them,  he 
would  keep  them.  The  perseverance  of  the  saints  is  a  doc¬ 
trine  without  meaning  to  the  majority  of  Christians.  But 
many  a  poor  girl  with  the  love  of  Christ  and  goodness  in 
her  heart,  working  her  lingers  to  the  bone  for  a  pittance 
that  just  keeps  her  alive,  with  the  temptations  of  the  streets 
around  her,  and  the  river  beside  her,  listened  with  all  her 
soul  when  she  heard  that  Christ’s  sheep  could  never  perish. 
Many  a  struggling  tradesman  tempted  to  dishonesty ;  many 
a  widow  with  penury  and  loneliness  before  her,  were  lifted 
above  all,  taught  to  look  through  and  over  the  years  com¬ 
ing  thick  with  sorrow  and  conflict,  and  anticipate  a  place 
in  the  Church  Triumphant. 

“  There  is  a  very  prevalent  notion  that  the  doctrine  of  a 
universal  Fatherhood  as  often  preached,  springs  from  a 
truer  charity  and  is  more  comforting  than  the  old  way  of 
teaching  that  God  is  the  Father  of  his  children  through 
faith.  A  man  says,  ‘  God  is  the  F ather  of  the  East-end  of 
London,’  and  thinks  he  has  uttered  a  consoling  truth. 
What  Mr.  Spurgeon  felt  was  that  the  Fatherhood  of  God 
must  mean  a  great  deal  more  than  that.  In  a  sense  God  is 
the  Father  of  the  most  degraded,  but  what  does  that  come 
to?  Before  we  know  the  Fatherly  nature  the  Son  must 
reveal  it,  and  if  we  dare  to  say  it,  there  is  something  be¬ 
yond  that.  The  going  out  of  the  divine  heart  to  poor,  lost, 
guilty  creatures  is  an  expression  of  the  lower  deep  of  love 
in  God’s  own  being,  and  means- something — means  every¬ 
thing  for  as  many  as  receive  it.  It  is  not  the  cold  comfort, 
the  unsheltering  shadow  of  an  empty  phrase. 

“  The  very  poor — it  must  be  remembered  that  South  Lon- 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


295 


don  is  the  poorest  part  of  the  metropolis — are  beginning  to 
hope  that  councils  and  parliaments  will  do  much  for  them. 
They  may  find  it  so,  but  Mr.  Spurgeon  made  little  of  such 
things.  He  taught  them — the  staple  of  his  sermon  is — that 
now  in  the  living  communion  of  the  soul  with  Christ,  they 
might  have  all  the  joy  they  needed.  A  man  too  wise,  too 
experienced,  not  to  know  how  slowly  the  battles  of  the  poor 
are  won,  and  how  little  their  victories  often  yield — he  in¬ 
sisted  on  the  joy  and  peace  in  believing,  which  the  world 
could  neither  give  nor  take  away.  Life  might  pursue  its 
hard,  monotonous  way  of  obscure  toil,  scanty  wages,  and  a 
great  weight  of  care,  but  over  it  all  there  might  rest  a  soft 
and  sacred  light.  The  common  people  heard  this  gladly, 
and  well  they  might,  for  it  Is  so^  Perhaps  when  they  have 
had  a  little  more  experience  of  the  politician  they  will  hear 
it  more  glady  than  ever. 

“  Personally  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  keenly  alive  to  the  humor¬ 
ous  side  of  things — witty,  brilliant,  and  sometimes  exuber¬ 
ant.  But  as  is  so  often  the  case  with  such  natures,  his 
thoughts  turned  habitually  to  the  wistful,  pathetic,  mel¬ 
ancholy  side  of  life.  George  Herbert’s  lines  fitted  him  well : 

‘  Not  that  he  may  not  here 
Taste  of  the  cheer, 

But  as  birds  drink  and  straight  lift  up  their  head, 

So  must  lie  sip  and  think 
Of  better  drink 

He  may  attain  to  after  he  is  dead. 

*  But  as  his  joys  are  double, 

So  is  his  trouble ; 

He  hath  two  winters,  other  things  but  one; 

Both  frosts  and  thoughts  do  nip 
And  bite  his  lip; 

And  he  of  all  things  fears  two  deaths  alone.’ 

“In  manner  he  was  scrupulously  and  even  anxiously 
23 


296 


LIFE  OF  SPURGEON. 


courteous.  For  long  he  mixed  little  in  society;  he  was 
busy  with  his  tremendous  labor,  and  incessantly  occupied 
in  reading.  He  had  a  great  collection  of  commentaries 
arranged  in  order  round  the  wall  of  his  sanctum,  and  never 
preached  without  consulting  each  on  his  text.  Though 
his  habits  of  preparation  were  peculiar,  they  were  thorough 
and  exact.  Never  did  he  trifle  with  the  chief  duty  of  his 
sacred  office. 

“  But  we  must  leave  many  things  unsaid.  Never  has  a 
man  with  such  an  experience  appeared  in  the  Christian 
church  ;  never  one  who  has  addressed  so  many  of  his 
fellow  creatures  on  the  things  of  God  ;  never  one  the  ob¬ 
vious  results  of  whose  ministry  have  been  so  great.  ‘  I 
shall  never  hear  you  calling,’  we  say  as  we  think  of  that 
unforgotten  voice.  But  its  echoes  will  linger  when  the 
strife  of  tongues  is  passing.  Multitudes  will  think  with 
affectionate  and  respectful  sympathy  of  the  bereaved  wife 
and  sons,  and  of  the  great  church  over  which  he  presided. 
AVe  have  all  lost  much,  but  he  has  gained  more.  His  was 
a  nature  little  fitted  for  many  things  that  befell  him  in  the 
last  lacerating  years — less  fitted  still  for  the  long  inaction 
which  was  the  best  his  physicians  dared  to  hope  for.  Better 
for  him,  perhaps,  that  he  has  gone  up  the  shining  road.” 


APPENDIX 


BAPTISMAL  REGENERATION. 

“And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.” — Mark  16  :  15,  16. 

ON  the  occasion  when  our  Lord  sent  forth  the  eleven  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  he  “appeared  unto 
them  as  they  sat  at  meat,  and  upbraided  them  with  their 
unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they  believed  not 
them  who  had  seen  him  after  he  was  risen ;  ”  from  which 
we  may  surely  gather,  that,  to  preach  the  word,  the  Lord 
was  pleased  to  choose  imperfect  men — men,  too,  who  of 
themselves  were  very  weak  in  the  grace  of  faith  in  which 
it  was  most  important  that  they  should  excel.  Faith  is 
the  conquering  grace,  and  is  of  all  things  the  main  requi¬ 
site  in  the  preacher  of  the  word;  and  yet  the  honored 
men  who  were  chosen  to  be  the  leaders  of  the  divine  cru¬ 
sade  needed  a  rebuke  concerning  their  unbelief.  Why  was 
this?  Because  the  Lord  has  ordained  evermore  that  we 
should  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels ,  that  the  ex¬ 
cellency  of  the  power  may  be  of  God,  and  not  of  us.  If 
you  should  find  a  perfect  minister,  then  might  the  praise 
and  honor  of  his  usefulness  accrue  to  man ;  but  God  is 
frequently  pleased  to  select  for  eminent  usefulness  men 
evidently  honest  and  sincere,  but  who  have  some  manifest 
infirmity  by  which  all  the  glory  is  castoff  from  them  and 
laid  upon  himself,  and  upon  himself  alone.  Let  it  never  _ 
be  supposed  that  we  who  are  God’s  ministers  either  excuse 
our  faults  or  pretend  to  perfection.  We  do  not  base  the 
claims  of  God’s  truth  upon  the  spotlessness  of  our  charac¬ 
ters,  but  on  the  fact  that  it  comes  from  him.  You  have 
believed  in  spite  of  our  infirmities,  and  not  because  of 
our  virtues.  We  come  unto  you  often  with  much  tremb- 

297 


298 


a  ri'Exnix. 


ling,  sorrowing  over  our  follies  and  weaknesses,  but  we 
deliver  to  you  God’s  Word  as  God’s  Word,  and  we  beseech 
you  to  receive  it,  not  as  coming  from  us,  but  as  proceed¬ 
ing  from  the  eternal  and  thrice-holy  God. 

Our  Lord  having  thus  given  us  an  insight  into  the 
character  of  the  persons  whom  he  has  chosen  to  proclaim 
his  truth,  then  goes  on  to  deliver  to  the  chosen  champions 
their  commission  for  the  holy  war.  I  pray  you  mark  the 
words  with  solemn  care.  He  sums  up  in  a  few  words  the 
whole  of  their  work,  and  at  the  same  time  foretells  the 
result  of  it,  telling  them  that  some  would  doubtless  be¬ 
lieve  and  so  be  saved,  and  some  on  the  other  hand  would 
not  believe  and  would  most  certainly,  therefore,  be 
damned — that  is,  condemned  forever  to  the  penalties  of 
God’s  wrath.  The  lines  containing  the  commission  of 
our  ascended  Lord  are  certainly  of  the  utmost  importance, 
and  demand  devout  attention  and  implicit  obedience,  not 
only  from  all  who  aspire  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  but 
also  from  all  who  hear  the  message  of  mercy.  A  clear  un¬ 
derstanding  of  these  words  is  absolutely  necessary  to  our 
success  in  t  he  Master’s  work ;  for  if  we  do  not  understand 
the  commission,  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  we  shall  dis¬ 
charge  it  aright.  To  alter  these  words  were  more  than 
impertinence:  it  would  involve  the  crime  of  treason 
against  the  authority  of  Christ  and  the  best  interests  of  the 
souls  of  men. 

Wherever  the  apostles  went  they  met  with  obstacles  to 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  the  more  open  and  effec¬ 
tual  the  utterance,  the  more  numerous  were  the  adversa¬ 
ries.  These  brave  men  so  wielded  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit  as  to  put  to  flight  all  their  foes ;  and  this  they  did 
not  by  craft  and  guile,  but  by  making  a  direct  cut  at  the 
error  which  impeded  them.  Never  did  they  dream  for  a 
moment  of  adapting  the  gospel  to  the  unhallowed  tastes 
or  prejudices  of  the  people,  but  at  once  directly  and  boldly 
they  brought  down  with  both  hands  the  mighty  sword  of 
the  Spirit  upon  the  crown  of  the  opposing  error.  This 
morning,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  my  helper 
and  defence,  I  shall  try  to  do  the  same ;  and  if  I  should 
provoke  some  hostility — if  I  should  through  speaking 
what  I  believe  to  be  the  truth  lose  the  friendship  of  some 


APPENDIX. 


299 

and  stir  up  the  enmity  of  more — I  cannot  help  it.  As  I 
am  soon  to  appear  before  my  Master’s  bar,  I  will  this  day, 
if  ever  in  my  life,  bear  my  testimony  for  truth,  and  run 
all  risks.  The  Lord  knoweth  I  have  nothing  in  my  heart 
but  the  purest  love  to  the  souls  of  those  whom  I  feel  im¬ 
peratively  called  to  rebuke  sternly  in  the  Lord’s  name. 
Among  my  hearers  and  readers,  some  will  censure  if  not 
condemn  me,  but  1  cannot  help  it.  It  is  sweet  to  every 
one  to  be  applauded,  but  if  for  the  sake  of  the  comforts 
of  respectability  and  the  smiles  of  men  any  Christian 
minister  shall  keep  back  a  part  of  his  testimony,  his 
Master  at  the  last  shall  require  it  at  his  hands. 

I  find  that  the  great  error  which  we  have  to  contend 
with  is  one  in  direct  opposition  to  my  text,  well  known 
to  you  as  the  doctrine  of  baptismal  regeneration.  We 
will  confront  this  dogma  with  the  assertion  that  baptism 
without  faith  saves  no  one.  The  text  says,  “  He  that  be¬ 
lieveth  and  is  baptized  shall  he  saved,”  but  whether  a 
man  be  baptized  or  no,  it  asserts  that  “  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned.”  So  that  baptism  does  not  save  the 
unbeliever;  nay,  it  does  not  in  any  degree  exempt  him 
from  the  common  doom  of  all  the  ungodly.  He  may  have 
baptism,  or  he  may  not  have  baptism ;  but  if  he  believeth 
not,  he  shall  in  any  case  be  most  surely  damned.  Let 
him  be  baptized  by  immersion,  or  be  sprinkled,  in  his  in¬ 
fancy  or  adult  age,  if  he  be  not  led  to  put  his  trust  in 
Jesus  Christ — if  he  remaineth  an  unbeliever — then  this 
terrible  doom  is  pronounced  upon  him,  “He  that  believ¬ 
eth  not  shall  be  damned.”  I  am  not  aware  that  any 
Protestant  church  in  England  teaches  the  doctrine  of 
baptismal  regeneration,  except  one,  and  that  happens  to 
be  the  corporation,  which  with  none  too  much  humility, 
calls  itself  the  Church  of  England.  This  very  powerful 
sect  does  not  teach  this  doctrine  merely  through  a  section 
of  its  ministers,  who  might  charitably  be  considered  as 
evil  branches  of  the  vine,  but  it  openly  declares  this 
doctrine  in  its  own  appointed  standard,  the  Book  of  Com¬ 
mon  Prayer,  and  that  in  words  so  express,  that  while 
language  is  the  channel  of  conveying  intelligible  sense, 
no  process  short  of  violent  wresting  from  their  plain 
meaning  can  ever  make  them  spy  anything  else. 


300 


APPENDIX. 


Here  are  the  words — we  quote  them  from  the  Catechism 
which  is  intended  for  the  instruction  of  youth,  and  is 
naturally  very  plain  and  simple,  since  it  would  be  foolish 
to  trouble  the  youth  with  metaphysical  refinements.  The 
child  is  asked  its  name,  and  is  questioned,  “Who  gave 
you  this  name?”  “My  godfathers  and  godmothers  in 
my  baptism ;  wherein  I  was  made  a  member  of  Christ, 
the  child  of  God,  and  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.”  Is  not  this  definite  and  plain  enough?  I  prize  the 
words  for  their  candor :  they  could  not  speak  more  plainly. 
Three  times  over  the  thing  is  put,  lest  there  should  be  any 
doubt  in  it.  The  word  regeneration  may,  by  some  sort  of 
juggling,  be  made  to  mean  something  else,  but  here  there 
can  be  no  misunderstanding.  The  child  is  not  only  made 
“a  member  of  Christ,” — union  to  Jesus  is  no  mean  spir¬ 
itual  gift, — but  he  is  made  in  baptism  “the  child  of  God  ” 
also;  and,  since  the  rule  is,  “if  children,  then  heirs,”  he 
is  also  made  “an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.” 
I  venture  to  say  that  while  honesty  remains  on  earth  the 
meaning  of  these  words  will  not  admit  of  dispute.  It  is 
clear  as  noonday  that,  as  the  Rubric  hath  it,  “  Fathers, 
mothers,  masters,  and  dames  are  to  cause  their  children, 
servants  or  apprentices,”  no  matter  how  wicked  they  may 
be,  to  learn  the  Catechism,  and  to  say  that  in  baptism  they 
were  made  members  of  Christ  and  children  of  God. 

The  form  for  the  administration  of  this  baptism  is 
scarcely  less  plain  and  outspoken,  seeing  that  thanks  are 
expressly  returned  unto  Almighty  God  because  the  person 
baptized  is  regenerated :  “  Then  shall  the  priest  say,  ‘  See¬ 
ing,  now,  dearly  beloved  brethren,  that  this  child  is 
regenerate  and  grafted  into  the  body  of  Christ’s  church, 
let  us  give  thanks  unto  Almighty  God  for  these  benefits; 
and  with  one  accord  make  our  prayers  unto  him,  that  this 
child  may  lead  the  rest  of  his  life  according  to  this  begin¬ 
ning.’  ”  Nor  is  this  all ;  for,  to  leave  no  mistake,  we 
have  the  words  of  the  thanksgiving  prescribed:  “Then 
shall  the  priest  say,  ‘  We  yield  thee  hearty  thanks,  most 
merciful  Father,  that  it  hath  pleased  thee  to  regenerate 
this  infant  with  thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  receive  him  for  thine 
own  child  by  adoption,  and  to  incorporate  him  into  thy 
holy  church.’  ” 


A  PPEEDIX. 


301 


This,  then,  is  the  clear  and  unmistakable  teaching  of  a 
church  calling  itself  Protestant.  I  am  not  now  dealing 
at  all  with  the  question  of  infant  baptism :  I  have  nothing 
to  do  with  that  at  this  time.  I  am  now  considering  the 
question  of  baptismal  regeneration,  whether  in  adults  or 
infants,  or  ascribed  to  sprinkling,  pouring,  or  immersion. 
Here  is  a  church  which  teaches  every  Lord’s  Day  in  the 
Sunday-school,  and  should,  according  to  the  Rubric,  teach 
openly  in  the  church,  all  children  that  they  were  made 
members  of  Christ,  children  of  God,  and  inheritors  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  when  they  were  baptized !  Here  is  a 
professedly  Protestant  church,  which,  every  time  its  min¬ 
ister  goes  to  the  font,  declares  that  every  person  there 
receiving  baptism  is  there  and  then  “regenerated  and 
grafted  into  the  body  of  Christ’s  church.” 

“  But,”  I  hear  many  good  people  exclaim,  “  there  are 
many  good  clergymen  in  the  church  who  do  not  believe 
in  baptismal  regeneration !  ”  To  this  my  answer  is 
prompt, — Why,  then,  do  they  belong  to  a  church  which 
teaches  that  doctrine,  in  the  plainest  terms?  I  am  told 
that  many  in  the  Church  of  England  preach  against  her 
own  teaching.  I  know  they  do,  and  herein  I  rejoice  in 
their  enlightenment,  but  I  question,  gravely  question, 
their  morality.  To  take  oath  that  I  sincerely  assent  or 
consent  to  a  doctrine  which  I  do  not  believe,  would  to  my 
conscience  appear  little  short  of  perjury,  if  not  absolute, 
downright  perjury;  but  those  who  do  so  must  be  judged 
by  their  Lord.  For  me  to  take  money  for  defending  what 
I  do  not  believe — for  me  to  take  the  money  of  a  church, 
and  then  to  preach  against  what  are  most  evidently  its 
doctrines — I  say  for  me  to  do  this  (I  shall  not  judge  the 
peculiar  views  of  other  men),  for  me  or  for  any  other 
simple,  honest  man  to  do  so,  were  an  atrocity  so  great 
that,  if  I  had  perpetrated  the  "deed,  I  should  consider  my¬ 
self  out  of  the  pale  of  truthfulness,  honesty,  and  common 
morality.  For  clergymen  to  swear  or  say  that  they  give 
their  solemn  assent  and  consent  to  what  they  do  not 
believe,  is  one  of  the  grossest  pieces  of  immorality  per¬ 
petrated,  and  is  most  pestilential  in  its  influence,  since  it 
directly  teaches  men  to  lie  whenever  it  seems  necessary 
to  do  so  in  order  to  get  a  living  or  increase  their  supposed 


302 


.1  pr/:xj)ix. 


usefulness:  it  is  in  fact  an  open  testimony  from  priestly 
lips  that,  at  least  in  ecclesiastical  matters,  falsehood  may 
express  truth,  and  truth  itself  is  a  mere  unimportant 
nonentity.  I  know  of  nothing  more  calculated  to  debauch 
the  public  mind  than  a  want  of  straightforwardness  in 
ministers;  and  when  worldly  men  hear  ministers  de¬ 
nouncing  the  very  things  which  their  own  Prayer  Book 
teaches,  they  imagine  that  words  have  no  meaning  among 
ecclesiastics,  and  that  vital  differences  in  religion  are 
merely  a  matter  of  tweedle-dee  and  tweedle-dum,  and 
that  it  does  not  much  matter  what  a  man  does  believe  so 
long  as  he  is  charitable  toward  other  people.  If  baptism 
does  regenerate  people,  let  the  fact  be  preached  with  a 
trumpet  tongue,  and  let  no  man  be  ashamed  of  his  belief 
in  it.  If  this  be  really  their  creed,  by  all  means  let  them 
have  full  liberty  for  its  propagation. 

My  brethren,  those  are  honest  churchmen  in  this  matter 
who,  subscribing  to  the  Prayer  Book,  believe  in  baptismal 
regeneration,  and  preach  it  plainly.  God  forbid  that  we 
should  censure  those  who  believe  that  baptism  saves  the 
soul,  because  they  adhere  to  a  church  which  teaches  the 
same  doctrine.  So  far  they  are  honest  men ;  and  in 
England,  wherever  else,  let  them  never  lack  a  full  tolera¬ 
tion.  Let  us  oppose  their  teaching  by  all  scriptural  and 
intelligent  means,  but  let  us  respect  their  .courage  in 
plainly  giving  us  their  views.  I  hate  their  doctrine,  but 
I  love  their  honesty  ;  and  as  they  speak  what  they  believe 
to  be  true,  let  them  speak  it  out,  and  the  more  clearly  the 
better.  Out  with  it,  sirs,  be  it  what  it  may,  but  do  let  us 
know  what  you  mean.  For  my  part,  I  love  to  stand  foot 
to  foot  with  an  honest  foeman.  To  open  warfare,  bold 
and  true  hearts  raise  no  objections  but  the  ground  of 
quarrel ;  it  is  covert  enmity  which  we  have  most  cause  to 
fear  and  best  reason  to  loathe.  If  men  believe  baptism 
works  regeneration,  let  them  say  so,  but  if  they  do  not 
so  believe  it  in  their  hearts,  and  yet  subscribe,  and  yet 
more,  get  their  livings  by  subscribing  to  words  asserting 
it,  let  them  find  congenial  associates  among  men  who  can 
equivocate  and  shuttle,  for  honest  men  will  neither  ask 
nor  accept  their  friendship. 

We  ourselves  are  not  dubious  on  this  point:  we  protest 


APPEND  IX. 


303 


that  persons  are  not  saved  by  being  baptized.  In  such  an 
audience  as  this,  I  am  almost  ashamed  to  go  into  the 
matter,  because  you  surely  know  better  than  to  be  misled. 
Nevertheless,  for  the  good  of  others  we  will  drive  at  it. 
We  hold  that  persons  are  not  saved  by  baptism  ;  for  we 
think,  first  of  all,  that  it  seems  out  of  character  with  the 
spiritual  religion  which  Christ  came  to  teach ,  that  he  should 
make  salvation  depend  upon  mere  ceremony.  Judaism 
might  possibly  absorb  the  ceremony  by  way  of  type  into 
her  ordinances  essential  to  eternal  life,  for  it  was  a  relig¬ 
ion  of  types  and  shadows.  The  false  religions  of  the 
heathen  might  inculcate  salvation  by  a  physical  process, 
but  Jesus  Christ  claims  for  his  faith  that  it  is  purely 
spiritual,  and  how  could  he  connect  regeneration  with  a 
peculiar  application  of  water?  I  cannot  see  how  it  would 
be  a  spiritual  gospel,  but  I  can  see  how  it  would  be 
mechanical,  if  I  were  sent  forth  to  teach  that  the  mere 
dropping  of  so  many  drops  upon  the  brow,  or  even  t lie 
plunging  of  a  person  in  water,  could  save  the  soul.  This 
seems  to  me  to  be  the  most  mechanical  religion  now  exist¬ 
ing,  and  to  be  on  a  par  with  the  praying  windmills  of 
Thibet,  or  the  climbing  up  and  down  of  Pilate’s  staircase 
to  which  Luther  subjected  himself  in  the  days  of  his 
darkness.  The  operation  of  water  baptism  does  not 
appear  even  to  my  faith  to  touch  the  point  involved  in 
the  regeneration  of  the  soul.  What  is  the  necessary  con¬ 
nection  between  water  and  the  overcoming  of  sin?  I 
cannot  see  any  connection  which  can  exist  between 
sprinkling,  or  immersion,  and  regeneration,  so  that  the 
one  shall  necessarily  be  tied  to  the  other  in  the  absence 
of  faith.  Used  by  faith,  had  God  commanded  it,  mira¬ 
cles  might  be  wrought;  but  without  faith  or  even  con¬ 
sciousness,  as  in  the  case  of  babes,  how  can  spiritual  bene¬ 
fits  be  connected  necessarily  with  the  sprinkling  of  water? 
If  this  be  your  teaching,  that  regeneration  goes  with 
baptism,  I  say  that  it  looks  like  the  teaching  of  a  spu¬ 
rious  church,  which  has  craftily  invented  a  mechanical 
salvation  to  deceive  ignorant  minds,  rather  than  the  teach¬ 
ing  of  the  most  profoundly  spiritual  of  all  teachers,  who 
rebuked  Scribes  and  Pharisees  for  regarding  outward 
rites  as  more  important  than  inward  grace. 


APPENDIX. 


304 

But  it  strikes  me  that  a  more  forcible  argument  is,  that 
the  dogma  is  not  supported  by  facts.  Are  all  persons  who 
are  baptized  children  of  God?  Well,  let  us  look  at  the 
divine  family.  Let  us  mark  their  resemblance  to  their 
glorious  Parent !  Am  I  untruthful  if  I  say  that  thousands 
of  those  who  were  baptized  in  their  infancy  are  now  in 
our  jails?  You  can  ascertain  the  fact,  if  you  please,  by 
application  to  prison  authorities.  Do  you  believe  that 
these  men,  many  of  whom  have  been  living  by  plunder, 
felony,  burglary,  or  forgery,  are  regenerate?  If  so,  the 
Lord  deliver  us  from  such  regeneration.  Are  these 
villains  members  of  Christ?  If  so,  Christ  has  sadly 
altered  since  the  day  when  he  was  holy,  harmless,  un¬ 
defiled,  separate  from  sinners.  Has  he  really  taken  bap¬ 
tized  drunkards  and  harlots  to  be  members  of  his  body  ? 
Do  you  not  revolt  at  the  supposition  ?  It  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  baptized  persons  have  been  hanged.  Surely  it 
can  hardly  be  right  to  hang  the  inheritors  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven !  Our  sheriffs  have  much  to  answer  for  when 
they  officiate  at  the  execution  of  the  children  of  God,  and 
suspend  the  members  of  Christ  on  the  gallows!  What  a 
detestable  farce  is  that  which  is  transacted  at  the  open 
grave,  when  “a  dear  brother”  who  has  died  drunk  is 
buried  in  a  “  sure  and  certain  hope  of  the  resurrection  to 
eternal  life,”  and  the  prayer  that  “  when  we  shall  depart 
this  life  we  may  rest  in  Christ,  as  our  hope  is  that  this  our 
brother  doth.”  He  is  a  regenerate  brother,  who,  having 
defiled  the  village  by  constant  uncleanness  and  bestial 
drunkenness,  died  without  a  sign  of  repentance ;  and  yet 
the  professed  minister  of  God  solemnly  accords  him 
funeral  rites  which  are  denied  to  unbaptized  innocents, 
and  puts  the  reprobate  into  the  earth  in  “  sure  and  certain 
hope  of  the  resurrection  to  eternal  life.”  If  old  Borne  in 
her  worst  days  ever  perpetrated  a  grosser  piece  of  im¬ 
posture  than  this,  I  do  not  read  things  aright ;  if  it  does  not 
require  a  Luther  to  cry  down  this  hypocrisy  as  much  as 
Popery  ever  did,  then  I  do  not  even  know  that  twice  two 
make  four.  Do  we  find — we  who  baptize  on  profession  of 
faith,  and  baptize  by  immersion  in  a  way  which  is  con¬ 
fessed  to  be  correct,  though  not  allowed  by  some  to  be 
absolutely  necessary  to  its  validity — do  we,  who  baptize 


A 1' TEND  IX. 


S05 


in  the  name  of  the  Sacred  Trinity  as  others  do,  do  we  find 
that  baptism  regenerates?  We  do  not.  Neither  in  the 
righteous  nor  the  wicked  do  we  find  regeneration  wrought 
by  baptism.  We  have  never  met  with  one  believer, 
however  instructed  in  divine  things,  who  could  trace  his 
regeneration  to  his  baptism  ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  we 
confess  it  with  sorrow,  but  still  with  no  surprise,  that  we 
have  seen  those  whom  we  have  ourselves  baptized,  accord¬ 
ing  to  apostolic  precedent,  go  back  into  the  world  and 
wander  into  the  foulest  sin,  and  their  baptism  has  scarcely 
been  so  much  as  a  restraint  to  them,  because  they  have 
not  believed  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Facts  all  show 
that  whatever  good  there  may  be  in  baptism,  it  certainly 
does  not  make  a  man  “a  member  of  Christ,  the  child  of 
God,  and  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,”  or  else 
many  thieves,  whoremongers,  drunkards,  fornicators,  and 
murderers  are  members  of  Christ,  the  children  of  God, 
and  inheritors  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Facts,  brethren, 
are  dead  against  this  popish  doctrine ;  and  facts  are  stub¬ 
born  things. 

Yet  further,  I  am  persuaded  that  the  performance  styled 
baptism  by  the  Prayer  Book  is  not  at  all  likely  to  regenerate 
and  save.  How  is  the  thing  done?  One  is  very  curious 
to  know  when  one  hears  of  an  operation  which  makes 
men  members  of  Christ,  children  of  God,  and  inheritors 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  how  the  thing  is  done.  It 
must  in  itself  be  a  holy  thing,  truthful  in  all  its  details,  and 
edifying  in  every  portion.  Now,  we  will  suppose  we  have 
a  company  gathered  around  the  water,  be  it  more  or  less, 
and  the  process  of  regeneration  is  about  to  be  performed. 
We  will  suppose  them  all  to  be  godly  people.  The  clergy¬ 
man  officiating  is  a  profound  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  the  father  and  mother  are  exemplary  Christians,  and 
the  godfathers  and  godmothers  are  all  gracious  persons. 
We  will  suppose  this :  it  is  a  supposition  fraught  with 
charity,  but  it  may  be  correct.  What  are  these  godly 
people  supposed  to  say  ?  Let  us  look  to  the  Prayer  Book. 
The  clergyman  is  supposed  to  tell  these  people,  “  Ye  have 
heard  also'  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  promised  in 
his  gospel  to  grant  all  these  things  that  ye  have  prayed 
for:  which  promise  he,  for  his  part,  will  most  surely  keep 


306 


ArrrsDix. 


and  perform.  Wherefore,  after  this  promise  made  by 
Christ,  this  infant  must  also  faithfully,  for  his  part, 
promise  by  you  that  are  his  sureties  (until  lie  come  of 
age  to  take  it  upon  himself)  that  he  will  renounce  the 
devil  and  all  his  works,  and  constantly  believe  God’s 
Holy  Word,  and  obediently  keep  his  commandments.1’ 
This  small  child  is  to  promise  to  do  this;  or,  more  truly, 
others  are  to  promise,  and  even  vow  that  he  shall  do 
so. 

But  we  must  not  break  the  quotation,  and  therefore  let 
us  return  to  the  Book :  “  I  demand,  therefore,  dost  thou, 
in  the  name  of  this  child,  renounce  the  devil  and  all  his 
works,  the  vain  pomp  and  glory  of  the  world,  with  all 
covetous  desires  of  the  same,  and  the  carnal  desires  of  the 
flesh,  so  that  thou  wilt  not  follow,  nor  be  led  by  them?  ” 
Answer:  “I  renounce  them  all.”  That  is  to  say,  in  the 
name  and  behalf  of  this  tender  infant  about  to  be  baptized, 
these  godly  people,  these  enlightened  Christian  people, 
these  who  know  better, -who  are  not  dupes,  who  know  all 
the  while  that  they  are  promising  impossibilities,  re¬ 
nounce  on  behalf  of  this  child  what  they  find  it  very  hard 
to  renounce  for  themselves, — “all  covetous  desires  of  the 
world  and  the  carnal  desires  of  the  flesh,  so  that  they  will 
not  follow  nor  be  led  by  them.”  How  can  they  harden 
their  faces  to  utter  such  a  false  promise,  such  a  mockery 
of  renunciation,  before  the  presence  of  the  Father 
Almighty?  Might  not  angels  weep  as  they  hear  the 
awful  promise  uttered!  Then  in  the  presence  of  High 
Heaven  they  profess  on  behalf  of  this  child  that  he  stead¬ 
fastly  believes  the  creed,  when  they  know,  or  pretty 
shrewdly  judge,  that  the  little  creature  is  not  yet  a 
steadfast  believer  in  anything,  much  less  in  Christ’s  going 
down  to  hell.  Mark,  they  do  not  say  merely  that  the 
babe  shall  believe  the  creed,  but  they  affirm  that  he  does ; 
for  they  answer  in  the  child’s  name,  “  All  this  we  stead¬ 
fastly  believe.”  Not  we  steadfastly  believe,  but  I,  the 
little  baby  here,  unconscious  of  all  their  professions  and 
confessions  of  faith.  In  answer  to  the  question,  “  Wilt 
thou  be  baptized  in  this  faith?  ”  they  reply  for  the  infant, 
“That  is  my  desire.”  Surely  the  infant  has  no  desire  in 
the  matter,  or  at  the  least  no  one  has  been  authorized  to 


A  rPENDIX. 


307 


declare  any  desires  on  his  behalf.  But  this  is  not  all ;  for 
then  these  godly,  intelligent  people  next  promise  on  behalf 
of  the  infant  that  “  he  shall  obediently  keep  all  God’s  holy 
will  and  commandments,  and  walk  in  the  same  all  the 
days  of  his  life.” 

Now,  I  ask  you,  dear  friends,  you  who  know  what  true 
religion  means,  can  you  walk  in  all  God’s  holy  command¬ 
ments  yourselves  ?  Dare  you  make  this  day  a  vow  on 
your  own  part,  that  you  would  renounce  the  devil  and  all 
his  works,  the  pomps  and  vanities  of  this  wicked  world, 
and  all  the  sinful  lusts  of  the  flesh  ?  Dare  you,  before 
God,  make  such  a  promise  as  that?  You  desire  such 
holiness;  you  earnestly  strive  after  it;  but  you  look  for 
it  from  God’s  promise,  not  from  your  own.  If  you  dare 
make  such  vows,  I  doubt  your  knowledge  of  your  own 
hearts  and  of  the  spirituality  of  God’s  law.  But  even  if 
you  could  do  this  for  yourself,  would  you  venture  to  make 
such  a  promise  for  any  other  person? — for  the  best-born 
infant  on  earth?  Come,  brethren,  what  say  you  ?  Is  not 
your  reply  ready  and  plain?  There  is  not  room  for  two 
opinions  among  men  determined  to  observe  the  truth  in 
all  their  ways  and  words.  I  can  understand  a  simple, 
ignorant  rustic,  who  has  never  learned  to  read,  doing  all 
this  at  the  command  of  a  priest  and  under  the  eye  of  a 
squire.  I  can  even  understand  persons  doing  this  when 
the  Reformation  was  in  its  dawn,  and  men  had  newly 
crept  out  of  the  darkness  of  Popery ;  but  I  cannot  under¬ 
stand,  gracious,  godly  people  standing  at  the  font  to  insult 
the  All-gracious  Father  with  vows  and  promises  framed 
upon  a  fiction,  and  involving  practical  falsehood.  How 
dare  intelligent  believers  in  Christ  utter  words  which  they 
know  in  their  conscience  to  be  wickedly  aside  from  truth? 
When  I  shall  be  able  to  understand  the  process  by  which 
gracious  men  so  accommodate  their  consciences,  even  then 
I  shall  have  a  confirmed  belief  that  the  God  of  truth  never 
did  and  never  will  confirm  a  spiritual  ble&sing  of  the 
highest  order  in  connection  with  the  utterance  of  such 
false  promises  and  untruthful  vows.  My  brethren,  does 
it  not  strike  you  that  declarations  so  fictitious  are  not 
likely  to  be  connected  with  a  new  birth  wrought  by  the 
Spirit  of  truth  ? 


24 


308 


APPENDIX. 


I  have  not  done  with  this  point :  I  must  take  another 
case,  and  suppose  the  sponsors  and  others  to  be  ungodly  ; 
and  that  is  no  hard  supposition,  for  in  many  cases,  we 
know  that  godfathers  and  parents  have  no  more  thought 
of  religion  than  that  idolatrous  hallowed  stone  around 
which  they  gather.  When  these  sinners  have  taken  their 
places,  what  are  they  about  to  say  ?  Why,  they  are  about 
to  make  the  solemn  vows  I  have  already  recounted  in 
your  hearing.  Totally  irreligious  they  are,  but  yet  thej; 
promise  for  the  baby  what  they  never  did,  and  never 
thought  of  doing,  for  themselves,— they  promise  on 
behalf  of  this  child,  “  that  he  will  renounce  the  devil  and 
all  his  works,  and  constantly  believe  God’s  Holy  Word, 
and  obediently  keep  his  commandments.”  My  brethren, 
do  not  think  I  speak  severely  here.  Really,  I  think 
there  is  something  here  to  make  mockery  for  devils.  Let 
every  honest  man  lament  that  ever  God’s  church  should 
tolerate  such  a  thing  as  this,  and  that  there  should  be 
found  gracious  people  who  will  feel  grieved  because  I,  in 
all  kindness  of  heart,  rebuked  the  atrocity.  Unregenerate 
sinners  promising  for  a  poor  babe  that  he  shall  keep  all 
God’s  holy  commandments,  which  they  themselves 
wantonly  break  every  day !  How  can  anything  but  the 
longsuffering  of  Gocl  endure  this?  What!  not  speak 
against  it?  The  very  stones  in  the  street  might  cry  out 
against  the  infamy  of  wicked  men  and  women  promising 
that  another  should  renounce  the  devil  and  all  his  works, 
while  they  themselves  serve  the  devil  and  do  his  works 
with  greediness !  As  a  climax  to  all  this,  I  am  asked  to 
believe  that  God  accepts  that  wicked  promise,  and,  as  the 
result  of  it,  regenerates  that  child.  You  cannot  believe 
in  regeneration  by  this  operation,  whether  saints  or  sin¬ 
ners  are  the  performers.  Take  them  to  be  godly,  then 
they  are  wrong  for  doing  what  their  conscience  must  con¬ 
demn  ;  view  them  as  ungodly,  and  they  are  wrong  for 
promising  what  they  know  they  cannot  perform ;  and  in 
neither  case  can  God  accept  such  worship,  much  less 
infallibly  append  regeneration  to  such  a  baptism  as  this. 

But  you  will  say,  “  Why  do  you  cry  out  against  it?” 
I  cry  out  against  it  because  I  believe  that  baptism  does 
not  save  the  soul,  and  that  the  preaching  of  it  has  a  wrong 


APPENDIX. 


309 


and  evil  influence  upon  men.  We  meet  with  persons  who, 
when  we  tell  them  that  they  must  be  born  again,  assure 
us  that  they  were  born  again  when  they  were  baptized. 
The  number  of  these  persons  is  increasing,  fearfully 
increasing,  until  all  grades  of  society  are  misled  by  this 
belief.  How  can  any  stand  up  in  his  pulpit  and  say  “  Ye 
must  be  born  again  ”  to  his  congregation,  when  he  has 
already  assured  them,  by  his  own  “  unfeigned  assent  and 
consent  ”  to  it,  that  they  are  themselves,  every  one  of 
them,  born  again  in  baptism.  What  has  he  to  do  with 
them?  Why,  my  dear  friends,  the  gospel  then  has  no 
voice;  they  have  rammed  this  ceremony  down  its  throat, 
and  it  cannot  speak  to  rebuke  sin.  The  man  who  has 
been  baptized  or  sprinkled,  says,  “  I  am  saved ;  I  am  a 
member  of  Christ,  a  child  of  God,  and  an  inheritor  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Who  are  you,  that  you  should 
rebuke  me?  Call  me  to  repentance,  call  me  to  a  new  life? 
What  better  life  can  I  have?  for  I  am  a  member  of  Christ 
— a  part  of  Christ’s  body.  What!  rebuke  me?  I  am  a 
child  of  God.  Cannot  you  see  it  in  my  face?  No  matter 
what  my  walk  and  conversation  is,  I  am  a  child  of  God. 
Moreover,  I  am  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
It  is  true,  I  drink  and  swear,  and  all  that,  but  you  know 
I  am  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  for  when  I 
die,  though  I  live  in  constant  sin,  you  will  put  me  in 
the  grave,  and  tell  everybody  that  I  died  “  in  sure  and 
certain  hope  of  the  resurrection  to  eternal  life.” 

Here  let  me  bring  in  another  point.  It  is  a  most  fear¬ 
ful  fact,  that,  in  no  age  since  the  Reformation,  has  Popery 
made  such  fearful  strides  in  England  as  during  the  last  few 
years.  I  had  comfortably  believed  that  Popery  was  only 
feeding  itself  upon  foreign  subscriptions,  upon  a  few  titled 
perverts,  and  imported  monks  and  nuns.  I  dreamed  that 
its  progress  was  not  real.  In  fact,  I  have  often  smiled  at 
the  alarm  of  many  of  my  brethren  at  the  progress  of 
Popery.  But,  my  dear  friends,  we  have  been  mistaken, 
grievously  mistaken.  This  great  city — London — is  now 
covered  with  a  network  of  monks  and  priests  and  sisters 
of  mercy,  and  the  conversions  made  are  not  by  ones  or 
twos,  but  by  scores,  till  England  is  being  regarded  as  the 
most  hopeful  spot  for  Romish  missionary  enterprise  in 


810 


APPENDIX. 


the  whole  world ;  and  at  the  present  moment  there  is  not 
a  mission  which  is  succeeding  to  anything  like  the  extent 
which  the  English  mission  is.  I  covet  not  their  money, 
I  despise  their  sophistries,  but  I  marvel  at  the  way  in 
which  they  gain  their  funds  for  the  erection  of  their 
ecclesiastical  buildings.  It  really  is  an  alarming  matter 
to  see  so  many  of  our  countrymen  going  off  to  that  super¬ 
stition  which  as  a  nation  we  once  rejected,  and  which  it 
was  supposed  we  should  never  again  receive.  Popery  is 
making  advances  such  as  you  would  never  believe, 
though  a  spectator  should  tell  it  to  you.  Close  to  your 
very  doors,  perhaps  even  in  your  own  houses,  you  may 
have  evidence  ere  long  of  what  a  march  Romanism  is 
making.  And  to  what  is  it  to  be  ascribed?  I  say,  with 
every  ground  of  probability,  that  there  is  no  marvel  that 
Popery  should  increase  when  you  have  two  things  to 
make  it  grow:  first  of  all,  the  falsehood  of  those  who  pro¬ 
fess  a  faith  which  they  do  not  believe,  which  is  quite 
contrary  to  the  honesty  of  the  Romanist,  who  does 
through  evil  report  and  good  report  hold  his  faith  ;  and 
then  you  have  secondly,  this  form  of  error  known  as  bap¬ 
tismal  regeneration,  commonly  called  Puseyism,  which 
is  not  only  Puseyism,  but  Church-of-Englandism,  because 
it  is  in  the  Prayer-book,  as  plainly  as  words  can  express 
it,— you  have  this  baptismal  regeneration,  preparing 
stepping-stones  to  make  it  easy  for  men  to  go  to  Rome. 
In  one  of  our  courts  of  legislature,  but  recently,  the  Lord 
Chief  Justice  showed  his  superstition,  by  speaking  of 
“  the  risk  of  the  calamity  of  children  dying  unbaptized !  ” 
Among  Dissenters  you  see  a  veneration  for  structures,  a 
modified  belief  in  the  sacredness  of  places,  which  is  all 
idolatry ;  for  to  believe  in  the  sacredness  of  anything  but 
of  God  and  of  his  own  word,  is  to  idolize,  whether  it  is 
to  believe  in  the  sacredness  of  the  men,  the  priests,  or  in 
the  sacredness  of  the  bricks  and  mortar,  or  of  the  fine 
linen,  or  what  not,  what  you  may  use  in  the  worship  of 
God.  I  see  this  coming  up  everywhere— a  belief  in 
ceremony,  a  resting  in  ceremony,  a  veneration  for  altars, 
fonts,  and  churches, — a  veneration  so  profound  that  we 
must  not  venture  upon  a  remark,  or  straightway  of  sin¬ 
ners  we  are  chief.  Here  is  the  essence  and  soul  of  Popery, 


APPENDIX. 


311 


peeping  up  under  the  garb  of  a  decent  respect  for  sacred 
things.  It  is  impossible  but  that  the  Church  of  Rome 
must  spread,  when  we  who  are  the  watchdogs  of  the  fold 
are  silent,  and  others  are  gently  and  smoothly  turfing  the 
road,  and  making  it  as  soft  and  smooth  as  possible,  that 
converts  may  travel  down  to  the  nethermost  hell  of 
Popery.  We  want  John  Knox  back  again.  Do  not  talk 
to  me  of  mild  and  gentle  men,  of  soft  manners  and 
squeamish  words :  we  want  the  fiery  Knox ;  and  even 
though  his  vehemence  should  “ding  our  pulpits  into 
binds,”  it  were  well  if  he  did  but  rouse  our  hearts  to 
action.  We  want  Luther,  to  tell  men  the  truth  unmis¬ 
takably,  in  homely  phrase.  The  velvet  has  got  into  our 
ministers’  mouths  of  late,  but  we  must  unrobe  ourselves 
of  soft  raiment,  and  truth  must  be  spoken,  and  nothing 
but  truth ;  for  of  all  lies  which  have  dragged  millions 
down  to  hell,  I  look  upon  this  as  being  one  of  the  most 
atrocious,- — that  in  a  Protestant  Church  there  should  be 
found  those  who  swear  that  baptism  saves  the  soul. 
Call  a  man  a  Baptist,  or  a  Presbyterian,  or  a  Dissenter,  or 
a  Churchman, — that  is  nothing  to  me:  if  he  says  that 
baptism  saves  the  soul,  out  upon  him,  out  upon  him  :  he 
states  what  God  never  taught,  what  the  Bible  never  laid 
down,  and  what  ought  never  to  be  maintained  by  men 
who  profess  that  the  Bible,  and  the  whole  Bible,  is  the 
religion  of  Protestants. 

I  have  spoken  thus  much,  and  there  will  be  some  who 
will  say,  spoken  thus  much  bitterly.  Very  well ;  be 
it  so.  Physic  is  often  bitter,  but  it  shall  work  well,  and 
the  physician  is  not  bitter  because  his  medicine  is  so;  or 
if  he  be  accounted  so,  it  will  not  matter,  so  long  as  the 
patient  is  cured.  At  all  events,  it  is  no  business  of  the 
patient  whether  the  physician  is  bitter  or  not:  his  business 
is  with  his  own  soul’s  health.  There  is  the  truth,  and  I 
have  told  it  to  you ;  and  if  there  should  be  one  among  you, 
or  if  there  should  be  one  among  the  readers  of  this  sermon, 
who  is  resting  on  baptism,  or  resting  upon  ceremonies  of 
any  sort,  I  do  beseech  you,  shake  oft'  this  venomous  faith 
into  the  fire  as  Paul  did  the  viper  which  fastened  on  his 
hand.  I  pray  you  do  not  rest  on  baptism.  Believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  That  alone  saves. 


Ar  PEND  IX. 


312 


“  No  outward  form  can  make  you  clean, 

The  leprosy  lies  deep  within.” 

I  do  beseech  you  to  remember  that  you  must  have  a  new 
heart  and  a  right  spirit,  and  baptism  cannot  give  you 
these.  You  must  turn  from  your  sins  and  follow  after 
Christ;  you  must  have  such  a  faith  as  shall  make  your 
life  holy  and  your  speech  devout,  or  else  you  have  not 
the  faith  of  God’s  elect,  and  into  God’s  kingdom  you 
shall  never  come.  I  pray  you  never  rest  upon  this 
wretched  and  rotten  foundation,  this  deceitful  invention 
of  antichrist.  Oh  !  may  God  save  you  from  it,  and  bring 
you  to  seek  the  true  rock  of  refuge  for  weary  souls. 

In  the  second  place,  we  say  that  faith  is  the  indis¬ 
pensable  requisite  to  salvation.  “  He  that  bdieveth 
and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned.”  Faith  is  the  one  indispensable  requisite  to  sal¬ 
vation.  This  faith  is  the  gift  of  God.  It  is  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Some  men  believe  not  on  Jesus;  they 
believe  not,  because  they  are  not  of  Christ’s  sheep,  as  he 
himself  said  unto  them.  But  his  sheep  hear  his  voice:  he 
knows  them  and  they  follow  him;  he  gives  to  them 
eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any 
pluck  them  out  of  his  hand.  What  is  this  believing  ?  Be¬ 
lieving  consists  in  two  things.  First  there  is  an  accred¬ 
iting  of  the  testimony  of  God  concerning  his  Son.  God 
tells  you  that  his  Son  came  into  the  world  and  was  made 
flesh ;  that  he  lived  on  earth  for  men’s  sake ;  that  having 
spent  his  life  in  holiness  he  was  offered  up  a  propitiation 
for  sin ;  that  upon  the  cross  he  there  and  then  made  ex¬ 
piation — so  made  expiation  for  the  sins  of  the  world  that 
“  whosoever  believeth  in  him  shall  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life.”  If  you  would  be  saved,  you  must 
accredit  this  testimony  which  God  gives  concerning  his 
own  Son.  Having  received  his  testimony,  the  next  thing 
is  to  confide  in  it.  Indeed,  here  lies,  I  think,  the  essence 
of  saving  faith,  to  rest  yourself  for  eterna1  salvation  upon 
the  atonement  and  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ,  to 
have  done  once  for  all  with  all  reliance  upon  feelings  or 
upon  doings,  and  to  trust  in  Jesus  Christ  and  in  what  he 
did  for  your  salvation. 

This  is  faith,  receiving  the  truth  of  Christ:  first  know- 


APPENDIX. 


313 

ing  it  to  be  true,  and  then  acting  upon  that  belief.  Such  a 
faith  as  this — such  real  faith  as  this — makes  the  man  hence¬ 
forth  hate  sin.  How  can  he  love  the  thing  which  made  the 
Saviour  bleed?  It  makes  him  live  in  holiness.  How  can 
he  but  seek  to  honor  that  God  who  has  loved  him  so  much 
as  to  give  his  Son  to  die  for  him?  This  faith  is  spiritual 
in  its  nature  and  effects;  it  operates  upon  the  entire  man  ; 
it  changes  his  heart,  enlightens  his  judgment,  and  sub¬ 
dues  his  will ;  it  subjects  him  to  God’s  supremacy,  and 
makes  him  receive  God’s  Word  as  a  little  child;  it  sanc¬ 
tifies  his  intellect,  and  makes  him  willing  to  be  taught 
God’s  Word ;  it  cleanses  within ;  it  makes  clean  the 
inside  of  the  cup  and  platter,  and  it  beautifies  without;  it 
makes  clean  the  exterior  conduct  and  the  inner  motive, 
so  that  the  man,  if  his  faith  be  true  and  real,  becomes 
henceforth  another  man. 

Now  that  such  faith  as  this  should  save  the  soul,  is,  I 
believe,  reasonable ;  yea,  more,  it  is  certain,  for  ice  have 
seen  men  saved  by  it  in  this  very  house  of  prayer.  We  have 
seen  the  harlot  lifted  out  of  the  Stygian  ditch  of  her  sin, 
and  made  an  honest  woman ;  we  have  seen  the  thief  re¬ 
claimed;  we  have  known  the  drunkard,  in  hundreds  of 
instances,  to  be  sobered;  we  have  observed  faith  to  work 
such  a  change,  that  all  the  neighbors  who  have  seen  it 
have  gazed  and  admired,  even  though  they  hated  it ;  we 
have  seen  faith  deliver  men  in  the  hour  of  temptation, 
and  help  them  to  consecrate  themselves  and  their  substance 
to  God ;  we  have  seen  deeds  of  heroic  consecration  to  God 
and  displays  of  witness-bearing  against  the  common  cur¬ 
rent  of  the  times,  which  have  proved  to  us  that  faith  does 
affect  the  man,  does  save  the  soul.  My  hearers,  if  you 
would  he  saved  you  must  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Let  me  urge  you  with  all  my  heart  to  look  nowhere  but 
to  Christ  crucified  for  your  salvation.  Oh!  if  you  rest 
upon  any  ceremony,  though  it  be  not  baptism — if  you  rest 
upon  any  other  than  Jesus  Christ— you  must  perish,  as 
surely  as  this  book  is  true.  I  pray  you  believe  not  every 
spirit,  but  though  I,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach  any 
other  doctrine  than  this,  let  him  he  accursed ;  for  this,  and 
this  alone,  is  the  soul-saving  truth  which  shall  regenerate 
the  world — “  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 


314 


APPENDIX. 


saved.”  Away  from  wax  candles,  and  millinery  of 
Puseyism !  away  from  all  the  gorgeous  pomp  of  Popery  ! 
away  from  tae  fonts  of  Church-of-Englandism !  We  bid 
you  turn  your  eyes  to  that  naked  cross,  where  hangs  as  a 
bleeding  man  the  Son  of  God.  ■ 

“  None  but  Jesus,  none  but  Jesus 
Can  do  helpless  sinners  good.” 

There  is  life  in  a  look  at  the  Crucified ;  there  is  life  at  this 
moment  for  you.  I  would  plead  with  you,  lay  hold  on 
Jesus  Christ!  This  is  the  foundation  :  build  on  it!  This 
is  the  rock  of  refuge :  fly  to  it !  I  pray  you  fly  to  it  now. 
Life  is  short :  time  speeds  with  eagle’s  wing.  Swift  as  the 
dove  pursued  by  the  hawk,  fly,  fly,  poor  sinner,  to  God’s 
dear  Son :  now  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment ;  now  look 
into  that  dear  face,  once  marred  with  sorrows  for  you ; 
look  into  those  eyes  once  shedding  tears  for  you.  Trust 
him,  and  if  you  find  him  false,  then  you  must  perish ;  but 
false  you  nev«r  will  find  him  while  this  word  standeth 
true,  “  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ; 
he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.”  God  give  us  this 
vital,  essential  faith,  without  which  there  is  no  salvation. 
So  Christ  declares,  and  so  it  must  be. 

But  now  to  close,  there  are  some  who  say,  “Ah!  but 
baptism  is  in  the  text ;  where  do  you  put  that?  ” 

The  baptism  in  the  text  is  one  evidently  con¬ 
nected  with  faith.  “He  that  believeth  and  is  bap¬ 
tized  shall  be  saved.”  It  strikes  me,  there  is  no  supposi¬ 
tion  here  that  anybody  would  be  baptized  who  did  not 
believe;  or  if  there  be  such  a  supposition,  it  is  very 
clearly  laid  down  that  his  baptism  will  be  of  no  use  to 
him,  for  he  will  be  damned,  baptized  or  not,  unless  he 
believes.  The  baptism  of  the  text  seems  to  me,  my 
brethren,— if  you  differ  from  me  I  am  sorry  for  it,  but  I 
must  hold  my  opinion,  and  out  with  it, — it  seems  to  me 
that  baptism  is  connected  with,  nay,  directly  follows 
belief.  I  would  not  insist  too  much  upon  the  order  of  the 
words ;  but,  for  other  reasons,  I  think  that  baptism  should 
follow  believing.  At  any  rate,  it  effectually  avoids  the 
error  we  have  been  combating.  A  man  who  knows  that 
he  is  saved  by  believing  in  Christ  does  not,  when  he  is 
baptized,  lift  his  baptism  into  a  saving  ordinance.  In 


APPENDIX. 


315 


fact,  he  is  the  very  best  protester  against  that  mistake, 
because  lie  holds  that  lie  has  no  right  to  be  baptized  until 
he  is  saved.  He  bears  a  testimony  against  baptismal  re¬ 
generation  in  his  being  baptized  as  professedly  an  already 
regenerate  person. 

Brethren,  the  baptism  here  meant  is  a  baptism  con¬ 
nected  with  faith,  and  to  this  baptism  I  will  admit  there 
is  very  much  ascribed  in  Scripture.  Into  that  question  I 
am  not  going ;  but  I  do  find  some  very  remarkable  pas¬ 
sages  in  which  baptism  is  spoken  of  very  strongly.  I  find 
this:  “  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins, 
calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.”  I  find  as  much  as  this 
elsewhere.  I  know  that  believers’  baptism  itself  does  not 
wash  away  sin,  yet  it  is  so  the  outward  sign  and  emblem 
of  it  to  the  believer,  that  the  thing  visible  may  be  de¬ 
scribed  as  the  thing  signified.  Just  as  our  Saviour  said : 
“  This  is  my  body,”  when  it  was  not  his  body,  but  bread ; 
yet,  inasmuch  as  it  represented  his  body,  it  was  fair  and 
right  according  to  the  usage  of  language  to  say,  “Take, 
eat,  this  is  my  body.”  And  so,  inasmuch  as  baptism  to 
the  believer  representeth  the  washing  of  sin — it  may  be 
called  the  washing  of  sin ;  not  that  it  is  so,  but  that  it  is 
to  saved  souls  the  outward  symbol  and  representation  of 
what  is  done  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  man 
who  believes  in  Christ. 

What  connection  has  this  baptism  with  faith?  I  think 
it  has  just  this,  baptism  is  the  avowal  of  faith.  The  man 
was  Christ’s  soldier,  but  now  in  baptism  he  puts  on  his 
regimentals.  The  man  believed  in  Christ,  but  his  faith 
remained  between  God  and  his  own  sold.  In  baptism  he 
says  to  the  baptizer,  “  I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ ;  ”  he  says 
to  the  church,  “  I  unite  with  you  as  a  believer  in  thecom- 
mon  truths  of  Christianity ;  ”  he  saith  to  the  onlooker, 
“  Whatever  you  may  do,  as  for  me,  I  will  serve  the 
Lord.”  It  is  the  avowal  of  his  faith. 

Next,  we  think  baptism  is  also  to  the  believer  a  testi¬ 
mony  of  his faith ;  he  does  in  baptism  tell  the  world  what  he 
believes.  “  I  am  about,”  saith  he,  “  to  be  buried  in  water. 
I  believe  that  the  Son  of  God  was  metaphorically  baptized 
in  suffering;  I  believe  he  was  literally  dead  and  buried.” 
To  rise  again  out  of  the  water  sets  forth  to  all  men  that 


316 


APPENDIX. 


lie  believes  in  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  There  is  a  show¬ 
ing-  forth  in  the  Lord’s  Supper  of  Christ’s  death,  and  there 
is  a  showing  forth  in  baptism  of  Christ’s  burial  and  resur¬ 
rection.  It  is  a  type,  a  sign,  a  symbol,  a  mirror  to  the 
world, — a  looking-glass,  in  which  religion  is  as  it  were 
reflected.  We  say  to  the  onlooker,  when  he  asks  what  is 
the  meaning  of  this  ordinance,  “  We  mean  to  set  forth 
our  faith  that  Christ  was  buried,  and  that  he  rose  again 
from  the  dead,  and  we  avow  this  death  and  resurrection 
to  be  the  ground  of  our  trust.” 

Again,  baptism  is  also  Faith's  taking  her  proper  place. 
It  is,  or  should  be,  one  of  her  first  acts  of  obedience. 
Reason  looks  at  baptism,  and  says,  “  Perhaps  there  is 
nothing  in  it ;  it  cannot  do  me  any  good.”  “  True,”  says 
Faith,  “  and  therefore  I  will  observe  it.  If  it  did  me  some 
good,  my  selfishness  would  make  me  do  it ;  but  inasmuch 
as  to  my  sense  there  is  no  good  in  it,  since  I  am  bidden 
by  my  Lord  thus  to  fulfill  all  righteousness,  it  is  my  first 
public  declaration  that  a  thing  which  looks  to  be  unreas¬ 
onable  and  seems  to  be  unprofitable,  being  commanded 
by  God,  is  law  to  me.  If  my  Master  had  told  me  to  pick 
up  six  stones  and  lay  them  in  a  row  I  would  do  it,  with¬ 
out  demanding  of  him,  ‘What  good  will  it  do?’  Cui 
hono?  is  no  fit  question  for  soldiers  of  Jesus.  The  very 
simplicity  and  apparent  uselessness  of  the  ordinance 
should  make  the  believer  say,  ‘  Therefore  I  do  it  because 
it  becomes  the  better  test  to  me  of  my  obedience  to  my 
Master.’  ”  Baptism  is  commanded,  and  faith  obeys  be¬ 
cause  it  is  commanded,  and  thus  takes  her  proper  place. 

Once  more,  baptism  is  a  refreshment  to  faith.  While  we 
are  made  up  of  body  and  soul  as  we  are,  we  shall  need 
some  means  by  which  the  body  shall  sometimes  be  stirred 
up  to  co- work  with  the  soul.  In  the  Lord’s  Supper  my 
faith  is  assisted  by  the  outward  and  visible  sign.  In  the 
bread  and  in  the  wine  I  see  no  superstitious  mystery :  I 
see  nothing  but  bread  and  wine  ;  but  in  that  bread  and 
wine  I  do  see  to  my  faith  an  assistant.  Through  the 
sign  my  faith  sees  the  thing  signified.  So  in  baptism 
there  is  no  mysterious  efficacy  in  the  baptistery  or  in  the 
water.  We  attach  no  reverence  to  the  one  or  to  the 
other,  but  we  do  see  in  the  water  and  in  the  baptism 


APPENDIX. 


317 


such  assistance  as  brings  home  to  our  faith  most  manifestly 
our  being  buried  with  Christ,  and  our  rising  again  in 
newness  of  life  with  him.  Explain  baptism  thus,  dear 
friends,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  Popery  rising  out  of  it. 
Explain  it  thus,  and  we  cannot  suppose  any  soul  will  be 
led  to  trust  to  it ;  but  it  takes  its  proper  place  among  the 
ordinances  of  God’s  house.  To  lift  it  up  in  the  other  way, 
and  say  men  are  saved  by  it — ah !  my  friends,  how  much 
of  mischief  that  one  falsehood  has  done  and  may  do, 
eternity,  alone  will  disclose.  Would  to  God  another 
George  Fox  would  spring  up,  in  all  his  quaint  simplicity 
and  rude  honesty,  to  rebuke  the  idol-worship  of  this  age; 
to  rail  at  their  holy  bricks  and  mortar,  holy  lecturns,  holy 
altars,  holy  surplices,  right  reverend  fathers,  and  I  know 
not  what.  These  things  are  not  holy.  God  is  holy ;  his 
truth  is  holy :  holiness  belongs  not  to  the  carnal  and  the 
material,  but  to  the  spiritual.  Oh,  that  a  trumpet  tongue 
would  cry  out  against  the  superstition  of  the  age !  Oh,  my 
beloved  friends,  the  comrades  of  my  struggles  and  wit¬ 
nesses,  cling  to  the  salvation  of  faith,  and  abhor  the  sal¬ 
vation  of  priests !  The  time  is  come  when  there  shall  be 
no  more  truce  01  parley  between  God’s  servants  and  time¬ 
servers.  The  time  is  come  when  those  who  follow  God 
must  follow  God,  and  those  who  try  to  trim  and  dress 
themselves  and  find  a  way  which  is  pleasing  to  the  flesh 
and  gentle  to  carnal  desires,  must  go  their  way.  Oh,  for 
a  truly  reformed  church  in  England,  and  a  godly  race  to 
maintain  it!  The  world’s  future  depends  on  it  under 
God ;  for  in  proportion  as  truth  is  marred  at  home,  truth 
is  maimed  abroad.  Out  of  any  system  which  teaches  sal¬ 
vation  by  baptism  must  spring  infidelity,  an  infidelity 
which  the  false  church  already  seems  willing  to  nourish 
and  foster  beneath  her  wing.  God  save  this  favored  land 
from  the  brood  of  her  own  established  religion.  Brethren, 
stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  you 
free,  and  be  not  afraid  of  any  sudden  fear  nor  calamity 
when  it  cometh ;  for  he  who  trusteth  to  the  Lord,  mercy 
shall  compass  him  about,  and  he  who  is  faithful  to  God  and 
to  Christ  shall  hear  it  said  at  the  last,  “  Weil  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant:  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord.”  May  the  Lord  bless  this  word,  for  Christ’s  sake. 


,  Date  Due 

i 

'  *  - 

Form  335.  45M  8-37. 

922.6  S772W  328785' 

7/  ay  land _ _ _ _ _ 

p.h^lfis  H.  Spurgeon. 


>  l 


9  22.6  S772Vir 


28735 


Unwi-rsitv  Library 


